Synonym Chooser

How does the noun languor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of languor are lassitude, lethargy, stupor, and torpor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When is it sensible to use lassitude instead of languor?

While the synonyms lassitude and languor are close in meaning, lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

When can lethargy be used instead of languor?

The meanings of lethargy and languor largely overlap; however, lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When could stupor be used to replace languor?

The synonyms stupor and languor are sometimes interchangeable, but stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

When might torpor be a better fit than languor?

While in some cases nearly identical to languor, torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of languor That there was this kind of languor, a little bit of maturity. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 12 Sep. 2024 The companionable dynamics in his scenes with Melling and Kene are a treat and help to leaven the languor that sets in the back-half of the run-time. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2024 By Judy Berman July 31, 2024 7:00 AM EDT Summer languor has set in on the TV calendar this July, as House of the Dragon and Love Island USA—but little else—have captivated viewers fresh off June’s The Bear binge. Judy Berman, TIME, 31 July 2024 The French Vietnamese director, Tran Anh Hung, is contemporary cinema’s great poet of languor. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for languor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • Smoking often masks something deeper: stress, social anxiety, trauma, or even boredom.
    John Samuels, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • In fact, the broader legalization of cannabis for recreational and medical purposes has likely driven its boosted popularity and public image, leading many to see it as a relatively safe substance for relaxation and relief from stress, pain, and even boredom.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • The pair argues that Europe risks falling behind not due to a lack of technical capability but because of structural market weaknesses.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 20 June 2025
  • Frank is committed to improving players’ strengths and weaknesses, and this is an area that could facilitate Tel’s development.
    Elias Burke, New York Times, 20 June 2025
Noun
  • Neurological Effects Very high levels of magnesium can affect the brain and nervous system, leading to symptoms like drowsiness, confusion, lethargy, and depression.
    Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 13 June 2025
  • Ricky Darryl had all the telltale signs: a dangerously high fever of 107 degrees Fahrenheit, pale gums, extreme lethargy, and near-total exhaustion.
    Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Noun
  • Similar to the chart of WTI crude oil, the VanEck Oil Services ETF (OIH) has improved intermediate-term momentum and no signs of upside exhaustion, increasing the likelihood of a breakout above a Fibonacci retracement level near $257 for a secondary objective of $298.
    Katie Stockton, CNBC, 16 June 2025
  • Whether from the return of fasting or sheer exhaustion, players may become impassive.
    Jason Anthony, The Atlantic, 14 June 2025
Noun
  • Hours later, as the commanders slept at home in a medicated stupor, the handmaids spread out all over with the intent of killing Gilead’s leaders in their sleep.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 May 2025
  • Drugs either didn’t work or put him in a severe stupor.
    Kayana Szymczak For The New York Times, New York Times, 13 May 2025
Noun
  • Add alert fatigue and organizations are left with blind spots hidden behind dashboards.
    Rick Hutchinson, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • Regardless of your fitness level, stay alert for other cardiac warning signs, too: pain that radiates down your arm or jaw, unusual fatigue, and fainting or almost fainting.
    Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • The result of this lassitude is that cars still rule the streets.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025
  • But neither was there the ho-hum, dutiful lassitude that usually accompanies second inaugurations, like Barack Obama’s in 2013.
    James Poniewozik, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
    Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
  • President Biden’s troubles — lingering inflation, wars and rumors of wars, his debility — could have benefited any Republican.
    David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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