languorous

adjective

lan·​guor·​ous ˈlaŋ-gə-rəs 

-grəs,

 also  -ə-rəs

1

: producing or tending to produce languor

a languorous climate

those hot and languorous southern days

2

: full of or characterized by languor

a languorous soak in the tub may be a rare respite for most women

—Vogue

languorously adverb

Synonyms

• enervated
• lackadaisical
• languid
• languishing
• limp
• listless
• spiritless

Choose the Right Synonym for languorous

languid, languorous, lackadaisical, listless, spiritless mean lacking energy or enthusiasm.

languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients

listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

Example Sentences

the drummer's languorous playing caused the rest of the band to keep missing the beat

Recent Examples on the Web

Over a languorous lunch, Koontz shares more, including the time that his father pulled a knife on him when the writer was in his 40s. —Karen Heller, Washington Post, 3 May 2023

Think of assorted voluptuous, sleeping Venuses by Titian or Giorgione, languorous nudes that are like some exquisite Renaissance Playboy centerfold designed for the private gratification of an inevitably male patron. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2023

The human brain keeps time, from the flicker of milliseconds to the languorous unfurling of hours and days and years. —Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 4 Dec. 2014

Every move is soft, languorous, and extended. —Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 16 Mar. 2023

Long, languorous days of doing nothing, perhaps lying on the beach or holed up in a cabin somewhere far from the city. —Richard A. Friedman, The Atlantic, 8 Aug. 2022

Arrais contributes neat double tours in his variation, but this is Odile’s showcase, and a slinky, languorous Cirio does it justice. —BostonGlobe.com, 25 Mar. 2021

Not that this languorous 133-minute film is short of room, as the push-pull dynamics of its central relationship are stretched and repeated past the point of tension or interest — toward a final act that would be easily seen coming even without some strained literary signposting. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2023

Someone improvised a squealing tune on a saxophone as three women unfurled long silken scarves and did a languorous dance. —New York Times, 20 July 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1