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
That patchwork system, known as home- and community-based services, has long been stretched thin, with hundreds of thousands of people languishing on waiting lists nationally.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The sound of boos reverberating around the Racecourse Ground so early on — this for a club who were very recently languishing in mediocrity three divisions lower — further exemplifies why Wrexham have become the new love-to-hate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The bill had languished on the calendar for weeks with no action.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
Also, in a game that requires the quick twitch of athleticism, Kobe Bryant, post-surgically repaired Achilles, never looked the same while languishing on a Lakers team that never won more than 27 games in his final three years.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 May 2026
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Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The sound of boos reverberating around the Racecourse Ground so early on — this for a club who were very recently languishing in mediocrity three divisions lower — further exemplifies why Wrexham have become the new love-to-hate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
The bill had languished on the calendar for weeks with no action.
—Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
Also, in a game that requires the quick twitch of athleticism, Kobe Bryant, post-surgically repaired Achilles, never looked the same while languishing on a Lakers team that never won more than 27 games in his final three years.
—Candace Buckner, New York Times, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for languish
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 18 May. 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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