languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish 
languished; languishing; languishes
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 eyes.—
Edith Wharton
Edith WhartonExamples of languish in a Sentence
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web
After languishing in detention for over three months, Hermel made the difficult decision to self-deport to Ecuador.
—Carol Guzy, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Three years later he was relegated to the bench, languishing for six years before re-emerging to lead the Arizona Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Boosters such as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman loaded up on the two in the hopes of scoring a windfall on any privatization plan, but the shares languished for years in over-the-counter trading as the status quo prevailed.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The country’s most popular politician Aung San Suu Kyi is languishing in prison and its most successful political party has been dissolved.
—Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
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Carol Guzy, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
Three years later he was relegated to the bench, languishing for six years before re-emerging to lead the Arizona Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Boosters such as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman loaded up on the two in the hopes of scoring a windfall on any privatization plan, but the shares languished for years in over-the-counter trading as the status quo prevailed.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The country’s most popular politician Aung San Suu Kyi is languishing in prison and its most successful political party has been dissolved.
—Ross Adkin, CNN Money, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish
1
: to become weak or languid : waste away
languish in prison
2
: to suffer neglect
a bill languishing in the Senate
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