life ‧ less /ˈlaɪfləs/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ life , ↑ lifelessness , ↑ lifer ; adjective : ↑ lifeless , ↑ lifelike , ↑ lifelong ; adverb : ↑ lifelessly ]
1 . literary dead or appearing to be dead:
Anton’s lifeless body was found floating in the lake.
2 . lacking the positive qualities that make something or someone interesting, exciting, or active OPP lively :
The actors’ performances were lifeless.
3 . not living, or not having living things on it:
The surface of the Moon is arid and lifeless.
4 . lifeless hair or skin is in bad condition and does not look healthy SYN dull
—lifelessly adverb
—lifelessness noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ dead no longer alive:
the bodies of three dead soldiers
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Is her father dead?
▪ lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead:
their lifeless bodies
▪ late [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
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a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol
▪ deceased formal dead:
Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.
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her deceased husband
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They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died) .
▪ departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’:
They paid their respects to their departed uncle.
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his dear departed wife
▪ gone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before:
‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’