lifelesslife‧less /ˈlaɪfləs/ adjective 
Anton’s lifeless body was found floating in the lake.2lacking the positive qualities that make something or someone interesting, exciting, or active OPP lively: The actors’ performances were lifeless.3not living, or not having living things on it: The surface of the Moon is arid and lifeless.4lifeless hair or skin is in bad condition and does not look healthy SYN dull—lifelessly adverb—lifelessness noun [uncountable]
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a lifeless performance
- Anton's lifeless body was found floating in the lake.
- He took the dead girl's hand. It felt cold and lifeless.
- The men found Dunlap's lifeless body slumped in the front seat of his car.
- But performance is poor, the steering light and lifeless, ergonomics messy and the gearbox jerky.
- But tonight, she is not just silent, she is lifeless, inert, hollowed out.
- Dad keeps videotapes of depositions, people explaining how their lives became empty, lifeless planets.
- My hair always seems to look lank and lifeless, even though I make sure that I wash and condition it regularly.
- The old and the young, the sick and the healthy, all limp and lifeless in the morning heat.
- They stood there lifeless on tiptoes.
- Under the bright lights in the train, both boy and man look pale, lifeless.
THESAURUS
no longer alive: · the bodies of three dead soldiers· Is her father dead?
literary dead or seeming to be dead: · their lifeless bodies
[only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently: · Mrs Lombard’s late husband· a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol
formal dead: · Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.· her deceased husband· They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).
[only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’: · They paid their respects to their departed uncle.· his dear departed wife
[not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before: · ‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’
Longman Language Activatordarkness someone or something that is dead has stopped living: · She's no longer breathing - I think she's dead.· The dead man's wife was questioned by police.· The doctor told him that unless he stopped drinking he would be dead within a year.· It was autumn, and the path was covered in dead leaves.· These flowers look dead - shall I throw them away?· Following the shoot-out six people were dead and three were wounded.dead on arrival (=already dead when arriving at a hospital): · One of the gunshot victims was pronounced dead on arrival at City Hospital.
formal use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially someone who died recently: somebody's late husband/wife/mother/father: · She set up the fund in memory of her late husband.the late President Marcos/John Lennon etc: · He is a big fan of reggae music and the late Bob Marley.
informal completely dead - use this when you are completely certain that someone or something is dead: · By the time we found him he was stone-dead.· Tom poked the bird with a stick. "Yeah, it's as dead as a doornail."
something that is lifeless shows no sign of life - use this about someone's body, or someone's hand or face: · He took the dead girl's hand. It felt cold and lifeless.· The men found Dunlap's lifeless body slumped in the front seat of his car.
especially written people who have died - use this especially about people who died in wars or accidents: · a religious service to commemorate the dead of two World Wars· Four of the dead had been travelling in the same car.· Ordinary Americans are beginning the heart-breaking task of counting their dead.
formal a dead person, especially one who has died recently - used especially in news reports and legal contexts: · The deceased died from an overdose of diet pills.
given to someone or done for someone after they die: · Bentley's relatives are demanding a posthumous pardon from the government.
spoken if someone is pushing up daisies , they are dead - used humorously: · He talks about spending his parents' money as if they were already pushing up daisies.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Anton’s lifeless body was found floating in the lake.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN
Anton’s lifeless body was found floating in the lake.· Every day she visited his bedside to chat and search for signs of response in his lifeless body.· Whiplash's head rolled away from her lifeless body, mouth contorted in a hideous grin.· His lifeless body was eventually taken from the river.
WORD FAMILYnounlifelifelessnessliferadjectivelifelesslifelikelifelongadverblifelessly
1literary dead or appearing to be dead: Anton’s lifeless body was found floating in the lake.2lacking the positive qualities that make something or someone interesting, exciting, or active OPP lively: The actors’ performances were lifeless.3not living, or not having living things on it: The surface of the Moon is arid and lifeless.4lifeless hair or skin is in bad condition and does not look healthy SYN dull—lifelessly adverb—lifelessness noun [uncountable]