as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languish
Unfortunately, Thirtysomething is still languishing in streaming purgatory, with the show only available to watch on DVD.
—
Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
The leader of a program pairing low-income criminal defendants with free attorneys is out of her job, after a shortage of lawyers in Alameda County delayed prosecutions and left defendants languishing for weeks at the Santa Rita Jail.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Julia, getting exasperated, asks if Adriana has checked in on her children, which is probably a much bigger thing than Adriana’s languishing music career.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
While socialites and celebrities once clamored to buy sprawling apartments at buildings like River House and 1 Sutton Place, co-ops in the area have been languishing on the market — often for years.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
The leader of a program pairing low-income criminal defendants with free attorneys is out of her job, after a shortage of lawyers in Alameda County delayed prosecutions and left defendants languishing for weeks at the Santa Rita Jail.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Julia, getting exasperated, asks if Adriana has checked in on her children, which is probably a much bigger thing than Adriana’s languishing music career.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
While socialites and celebrities once clamored to buy sprawling apartments at buildings like River House and 1 Sutton Place, co-ops in the area have been languishing on the market — often for years.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languish
Verb
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As anger fades into apathy and grief is aggravated by guilt, the public also chooses silence.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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While pie crust seems to be fading away, some chefs would rather think completely outside the box by creating a completely different crust.—
Amber Love Bond,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For investors, even opposition threats of repeal weaken confidence by raising doubts about long-term policy stability.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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While his core supporters remain loyal, sustained disapproval among the broader public could weaken his leverage in negotiations with Congress and erode confidence in his leadership.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Milwaukee rewarded him with a two-year, $11 million contract in July, and, with Damian Lillard gone, Porter is now the point guard, which was confirmed by Doc Rivers a few weeks ago.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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They Chiefs needed just five plays to go 97 yards for the TD.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This can lead your soft tissues to sag into those gaps, causing your muscles to tense up in compensation.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
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Much of the composition is given to the trio of commissioners who, tasked with investigating charges of bias in the trial, upheld the verdict—their faces sagging and stony, their staid officiousness echoing the resolute lines of the courthouse behind them.—
Nicole Rudick,
The New York Review of Books,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But Kempes had failed to score at the World Cup four years earlier, and started this tournament slowly.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Water bottles left behind were filled with black urine – a sign of failing kidneys and dehydration.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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They’ve been outscored 69-9 in the first half the last three weeks combined, and the season is sinking with Browning at the helm.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Cook over medium, stirring constantly, just until milk solids sink to bottom of skillet and begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.—
Elizabeth Mervosh,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Once those reserves are exhausted, China may be tempted to broker a deal to buy American soybeans, but those hopes may wither when the Southern Hemisphere's harvest season begins early next year.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
26 Sep. 2025
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Competition, however, has withered in American elections.—
Craig Gilbert,
jsonline.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languish. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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