languish

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

Definition of languish

intransitive verb

1a : 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
2a : 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 eyes— Edith Wharton

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Other Words from languish

languisher noun
languishingly \ ˈlaŋ-​gwi-​shiŋ-​lē How to pronounce languish (audio) \ adverb
languishment \ ˈlaŋ-​gwish-​mənt How to pronounce languish (audio) \ noun

Examples of languish in a Sentence

older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web After his capture, al-Qahtani was imprisoned, tortured by the US government and -- when charges against him were dropped in 2008 -- left to languish behind bars with no end in sight. Daniel A. Medina, CNN, 5 Aug. 2021 Nineteen percent of Louisianans languish at or below the poverty line, including 27 percent of children. Ellen Carmichael, National Review, 1 Aug. 2021 In the meantime, benefits applications can languish for more than a year while the applicants struggle to live and pay their bills in uncertainty. Abigail Abrams, Time, 20 July 2021 The uncertainty around the Equality Act is not the first instance of LGBTQ equality legislation being left to languish in Congress. Katelyn Burns, The New Republic, 30 June 2021 The new segment had virtually no congruence with the rest of the company, and as a result, that lack of integration caused the initiative to languish despite large investments. Omri Kohl, Forbes, 22 June 2021 That means businesses such as lunch spots, office support services, and after-work hangouts could continue to languish, even as other industries hope to roar back to life. BostonGlobe.com, 28 May 2021 As long as users keep coming and Washington’s responses continue to languish, social media will have no reason to change the experience for its most vulnerable users. Jordan Lebeau, Quartz, 16 May 2021 The plaintiffs claimed the county’s bail system was unfair to poor defendants who languish in jail while others bail out quickly. Kevin Krause, Dallas News, 30 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'languish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of languish

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

History and Etymology for languish

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

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Time Traveler for languish

Time Traveler

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

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Dictionary Entries Near languish

languid

languish

languor

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Statistics for languish

Last Updated

10 Aug 2021

Cite this Entry

“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 11 Aug. 2021.

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More Definitions for languish

languish

verb

English Language Learners Definition of languish

formal + literary : to continue for a long time without activity or progress in an unpleasant or unwanted situation

languish

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

Kids Definition of languish

1 : to be or become weak, dull, or listless "I don't feel good at all. I think I'm languishing …"— E. B. White, Charlotte's Web
2 : to continue for a long time without activity or progress in an unpleasant or unwanted situation The innocent man languished in prison.

More from Merriam-Webster on languish

Nglish: Translation of languish for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of languish for Arabic Speakers

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