languish

verb

lan·​guish ˈlaŋ-gwish How to pronounce languish (audio)
languished; languishing; languishes

intransitive verb

1
a
: to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated
Plants languish in the drought.
b
: to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality
languished in prison for ten years
2
a
: to become dispirited
b
: to suffer neglect
the bill languished in the Senate for eight months
3
: to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy
languished at him through screwed-up eyesEdith Wharton
languisher noun
languishingly adverb
languishment noun

Examples of languish in a Sentence

older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web Property prices and sales have languished after a crackdown on what leaders viewed as dangerous levels of borrowing, causing dozens of developers to default on their debts. Dake Kang, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Yet three years after the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange, its share price is languishing at $5.88 as of March 5, down 58 percent from its debut. Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Feeling more isolated and less connected leads to people ‘languishing’ in and out of work. Anna Shields, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Efforts to label consumer tech with simple security facts have languished. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 Politics With key Democratic senators undecided, Julie Su’s bid for Labor secretary languishes June 14, 2023 Republicans have described Su’s policies as pro-union and anti-business. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Currently, at around 39% of capacity, it’s been languishing at a historic low. Laura Paddison, CNN, 25 Feb. 2024 The ensuing war led to the founding of the state of Israel; millions of Palestinians, meanwhile, became refugees, and their national aspirations languished. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 There are hundreds more political prisoners languishing in his jails, including Vladimir Kara-Murza (who has been poisoned twice) and the Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'languish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French languiss-, stem of languir, from Vulgar Latin *languire, from Latin languēre

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of languish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near languish

Cite this Entry

“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

languish

verb
lan·​guish ˈlaŋ-gwish How to pronounce languish (audio)
1
: to become weak or languid : waste away
languish in prison
2
: to suffer neglect
a bill languishing in the Senate
languishment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on languish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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