languish

as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave

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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 languish The case languished for several years until the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade. Melissa Quinn july 3, CBS News, 3 July 2025 As of late April, nearly 900 claims had been pending for more than one year, more than triple the number from five years ago, with a small number languishing for a decade. Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025 Others remain behind bars Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated. Yuras Karmanau, Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2025 Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated. Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for languish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languish
Verb
  • Sunscreen, chlorine, saltwater, and even rough drying habits can wear down the fabric, leaving colors faded and suits stretched out.
    Gabi De la Rosa, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
  • The longwear formula is built to resist creasing, fading, and transferring, even in heat and humidity.
    Deanna Pai, Allure, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • The first-quarter boom in U.S. trade is weakening, with merchandise trade somewhat atypically declining for the second straight month, according to my analysis of the the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.
    Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • The June jobs report showed strong headline numbers, but the underlying data pointed to a weakening labor market.
    Danny Bakst, Fortune, 9 July 2025
Verb
  • But the story goes a little something like this: Cheyenne, along with her two older brothers, was taken in by their great-grandparents after their mother lost custody.
    Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 6 July 2025
  • Tatis went 0-for-4 with a walk and entered Saturday with a .677 OPS over his last 55 games, while Merrill went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly after entering the game with a .570 OPS in his first 11 games off the concussion list.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
Verb
  • Then there’s the reverse extreme: nipple reduction — long, protruding, often sagging nipples that are the consequence of breastfeeding.
    Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2025
  • The vinyl rain gutter sagged and melted, its plastic material flapping in the wind like a flag, and the window shattered shortly after, letting the flames enter the interior.
    Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Verb
  • Lin, its inventor, was born in 1895 in southern China during the tail end of a failing Qing dynasty.
    Emily Feng, NPR, 5 July 2025
  • Renard was not the only one who failed to make the cut.
    Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • Florida’s Boca Raton Resort just overhauled its beach club, sinking millions into the makeover.
    Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 5 July 2025
  • That marks an improvement from the end of last week, when his net approval rating sank to an all-time low of -10 points.
    Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • So why do people like Winfrey, Disney, Cuban and Schumacher flourish after setbacks while others wither?
    Dr. Angélica S. Gutiérrez, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
  • As football in the south bloomed, at the other end of the country Wrexham were withering away in the non-League.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languish. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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