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
Winning this tournament – and in doing so, booking passage to next season’s Champions League – is the only way to save a campaign that’s left them languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table.
—Sam Tighe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Trump’s approval rating is just 37% with Latinos in the new UnidosUS survey and his favorability score is even worse, languishing at 34%.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2025
The rules have put some undocumented families in a desperate situation, leaving children who crossed the border unaccompanied languishing for months in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the advocates say.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
But three other stadium bills have languished for months, receiving virtually no attention inside the state Capitol.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sam Tighe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Trump’s approval rating is just 37% with Latinos in the new UnidosUS survey and his favorability score is even worse, languishing at 34%.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2025
The rules have put some undocumented families in a desperate situation, leaving children who crossed the border unaccompanied languishing for months in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the advocates say.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025
But three other stadium bills have languished for months, receiving virtually no attention inside the state Capitol.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 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 6 May. 2025.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share