Crossword Genius

Stuffy and without a successor, say (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

airless

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'stuffy' is the definition.
(synonyms)

'without a successor say' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'without' could be 'less' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'less' is located in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for airless that I've seen before include "Stifling" , "Very stuffy" , "Lacking ventilation" , "not a breath of wind" , "Unventilated" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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