from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lifeless \Life"less\, a.
Destitute of life, or deprived of life; not containing, or
inhabited by, living beings or vegetation; dead, or
apparently dead; spiritless; powerless; dull; as, a lifeless
carcass; lifeless matter; a lifeless desert; a lifeless wine;
a lifeless story. -- {Life"less*ly}, adv. --
{Life"less*ness}, n.
Syn: Dead; soulless; inanimate; torpid; inert; inactive;
dull; heavy; unanimated; spiritless; frigid; pointless;
vapid; flat; tasteless.
Usage: {Lifeless}, {Dull}, {Inanimate}, {Dead}. In a moral
sense, lifeless denotes a lack of vital energy;
inanimate, a lack of expression as to any feeling that
may be possessed; dull implies a torpor of soul which
checks all mental activity; dead supposes a
destitution of feeling. A person is said to be
lifeless who has lost the spirits which he once had;
he is said to be inanimate when he is naturally
wanting in spirits; one is dull from an original
deficiency of mental power; he who is dead to moral
sentiment is wholly bereft of the highest attribute of
his nature.
[1913 Webster]