languish

verb

lan·​guish ˈlaŋ-gwish 

languished; languishing; languishes

intransitive verb

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

languisher noun

languishingly

ˈlaŋ-gwi-shiŋ-lē 

adverb

languishment

ˈlaŋ-gwish-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• fade
• weaken
• go
• sag
• fail
• sink
• wither

Examples of languish in a Sentence

older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, South Korea stands out as Asia’s best performer amid the region’s divergent performances, while Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia languish at the bottom of the global rankings. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 July 2025

Without these, even the most advanced models may languish in obscurity. —Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

He's also languished in the inky shadow of mystery that director Christopher Nolan brought to D.C.’s other major superhero, Batman, starting with Batman Begins. —Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025

My pansies are pitiful, the lavender is languishing and the salvia is suffering. —Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for languish

• anguish

Kids 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

languishment

-mənt 

noun