as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languish
The movie premiered at Sundance in 2020 to buzzy acclaim — only to languish in pandemic limbo for 18 months.
—
Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
But the case languished for decades until Miller got her hands on it.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Most Americans support these common-sense reforms that languish in Congress.
—Scott Peters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has languished for months as peace talks continue to see little progress and an escalation between the two sides.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
But the case languished for decades until Miller got her hands on it.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Most Americans support these common-sense reforms that languish in Congress.
—Scott Peters, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Oct. 2025
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has languished for months as peace talks continue to see little progress and an escalation between the two sides.
—Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languish
Verb
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For one night, under cold rain and flickering red lights, the noise faded.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Once summer flowers fade and growth stops, start cleaning up the garden.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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With some estimates putting wave heights as much as 35 feet, weakened hatch covers would have been vulnerable to such waves.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
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The years of horrific violence have weakened Sudan, plunging its institutions into chaos and making its population more vulnerable and poorer.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Unfortunately, Packers quarterback Jordan Love will go into the game without one of his top receiving threats, who came into the game with a questionable tag.—
Reice Shipley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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The company count included insiders like Musk, who held around a 15% stake in Tesla going into the proxy and was allowed to vote his shares.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Balenciaga tunics seemed similarly austere, until the models did an about-face, revealing a slit that sagged open seductively.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
7 Nov. 2025
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The Democratic margin in those counties had sagged in 2021, when Republican Glenn Youngkin won the governor’s race, and in 2024, when Kamala Harris eked out a surprisingly narrow win.—
Ronald Brownstein,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Tigers also failed on their lone fourth-down attempt, a fourth-and-5 at the Texas A&M 27.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
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The Horned Frogs outgained Iowa State 432-272, but failed to come out on top as the Cyclones snapped their four-game losing streak.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Langkawi, Malaysia Reuters — The number of people confirmed dead after a boat carrying members of Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya community sank near the Thailand-Malaysia border rose to 11 on Monday, authorities said, with about 70 people believed to have been on board the capsized vessel.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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What caused the Edmund Fitzgerald to sink remains a point of debate and mystery a half-century later.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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However, at the time, the film's withering reception proved to be something of a scarlet letter for Berkley's burgeoning movie career.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
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The 74-year-old New Yorker faced withering critiques for not shutting down government in the spring.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languish. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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