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 WhartonSynonyms
Examples of languish in a Sentence
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, Israel disputes the UN’s warning that famine is imminent in Gaza, accuses the UN of failing to control the theft of aid supplies, and blames the organization for lacking the capacity to distribute the contents of hundreds of trucks now languishing inside Gaza.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
The Salemi Kim’s never became fully operational, however, and, after languishing in boxes for a dozen years, the collection made its way back to New York.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
And while housing construction languished elsewhere, West Sacramento built both market and affordable housing at the some of the fastest rates in California.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
The proposal languished eight years before it was rejected.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
After languishing for seven years in prison, she was hanged in 2014, despite international outcries from the United Nations and human rights groups.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Far too radical for its time and expensive to fabricate, the piece languished for decades but emerged as a coveted emblem of Modernism when Cassina started producing it in 1965.
—Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Thousands of innocent Salvadorans now languish in jail, suffering conditions that a forthcoming study commissioned by the Seattle International Foundation says may constitute crimes against humanity.
—Danielle MacKey, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
LaMelo Ball’s pesky troublesome ankles, Cody Martin’s languishing knee problems, Mark Williams’ back trouble — which apparently also involves a bone issue — and Miles Bridges’ legal woes robbed Clifford of any legitimate shot at success.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
The Salemi Kim’s never became fully operational, however, and, after languishing in boxes for a dozen years, the collection made its way back to New York.
—Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
And while housing construction languished elsewhere, West Sacramento built both market and affordable housing at the some of the fastest rates in California.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024
The proposal languished eight years before it was rejected.
—Hannah Wiley, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
After languishing for seven years in prison, she was hanged in 2014, despite international outcries from the United Nations and human rights groups.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Far too radical for its time and expensive to fabricate, the piece languished for decades but emerged as a coveted emblem of Modernism when Cassina started producing it in 1965.
—Evan Moffitt, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Thousands of innocent Salvadorans now languish in jail, suffering conditions that a forthcoming study commissioned by the Seattle International Foundation says may constitute crimes against humanity.
—Danielle MacKey, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024
LaMelo Ball’s pesky troublesome ankles, Cody Martin’s languishing knee problems, Mark Williams’ back trouble — which apparently also involves a bone issue — and Miles Bridges’ legal woes robbed Clifford of any legitimate shot at success.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'languish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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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