anemic

or a·nae·mic

[ uh-nee-mik ]

adjective

1. Pathology. affected with anemia; having a deficiency of the hemoglobin, often accompanied by a reduced number of red blood cells.
2. lacking power, vigor, vitality, or colorfulness; listless; weak:

   an anemic effort;

   anemic tones.

anemic

/ əˈniːmɪk /

adjective

1. the usual US spelling of anaemic

Other Words From

• a·ne·mi·cal·ly adverb
• non·a·ne·mic adjective
• pseu·do·a·ne·mic adjective
• un·a·ne·mic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of anemic¹

First recorded in 1830–40; anem(ia) + -ic

Example Sentences

Musk handled the ground game for Trump, resulting in an anemic canvassing presence.

From Salon

The Trump campaign's "outreach" to women has been anemic.

From Salon

Getting the starters back could be a much-needed cure for the Chargers’ anemic offense that hasn’t scored a second-half touchdown since Week 1.

From Los Angeles Times

But the moderators’ velvet-gloved handling of fact-checking, couched as clarification, was not enough to buttress the event’s anemic utility.

From Salon

It also reflected the existing systemic political corruption in New York City politics as well as the anemic state of our local democracy.

From Salon

Related Words

• feeble
• frail
• sickly