as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languished
Boosters such as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman loaded up on the two in the hopes of scoring a windfall on any privatization plan, but the shares languished for years in over-the-counter trading as the status quo prevailed.
—
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The cast fragmented, with the Byers family and El trying to start over in California while Hopper languished in a tonally dissonant Soviet gulag, as though the Duffers didn’t realize that what people loved most about Stranger Things was its grounding in Hawkins.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
That investigation is pending as authorities have reported slow progress in identifying corpses that, in some cases, have languished for more than a decade.
—Colleen Slevin, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
The television ratings for the Academy Awards have languished at historically low levels.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 20 Dec. 2025
At the time that he was appointed director in 2023 of the Valladolid Film Festival-Seminci, Spain’s traditionally second-biggest arthouse event, Spain’s box office languished post-pandemic at just 62% of 2019’s total annual gross.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
Baldwin first listed the place for $29 million in 2022, a year after the fatal Rust shooting, but the house languished.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 4 Dec. 2025
Williams, who could have languished as a top pick that proved to be a bust, has developed a reputation as clutch and cool under pressure as the Bears have mounted a number of fourth-quarter comebacks.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Consumers languished in their homes, reduced to shopping entirely online.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The cast fragmented, with the Byers family and El trying to start over in California while Hopper languished in a tonally dissonant Soviet gulag, as though the Duffers didn’t realize that what people loved most about Stranger Things was its grounding in Hawkins.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
That investigation is pending as authorities have reported slow progress in identifying corpses that, in some cases, have languished for more than a decade.
—Colleen Slevin, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
The television ratings for the Academy Awards have languished at historically low levels.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 20 Dec. 2025
At the time that he was appointed director in 2023 of the Valladolid Film Festival-Seminci, Spain’s traditionally second-biggest arthouse event, Spain’s box office languished post-pandemic at just 62% of 2019’s total annual gross.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
Baldwin first listed the place for $29 million in 2022, a year after the fatal Rust shooting, but the house languished.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 4 Dec. 2025
Williams, who could have languished as a top pick that proved to be a bust, has developed a reputation as clutch and cool under pressure as the Bears have mounted a number of fourth-quarter comebacks.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Consumers languished in their homes, reduced to shopping entirely online.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
Verb
-
Liverpool kept winning and the issue faded from public view.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
After nearly 80 years, hope for answers to the infamous 1947 Black Dahlia murder had faded into nothingness.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Complimentary data from uGMRT reveals a very steep radio spectrum indicative of old, weakened plasma particles.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The body tries to repair the damage, but healing is often slow and incomplete, leaving the bone weakened and vulnerable to collapse or deformity — changes that can lead to lasting hip problems.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Pre-festival enthusiasm sagged compared to the inaugural year.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
-
His public approval has mostly sagged since his inauguration as Americans worry about the economy.—
Reuters
Wire Service,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Danila Yurov scored for Minnesota in the second period, as the Wild went without a regulation win on their three-game homestand, and are now 1-3-2 in their last half-dozen.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Boston got points on two of its first three possessions of the game — a pair of rare two-point makes by Hauser, who takes 90% of his shots from 3-point range — then went cold for nearly five straight minutes.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And the Conference Board’s latest survey revealed that consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since April in November, as assessments of both the business and labor markets sank, and the Expectations Index dropped further below the threshold that signals an upcoming recession.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Again, on the heels of September’s rate, short-term Treasury yields sank, but the 10-year yield soared back to its highest point in nearly a fortnight.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Federal Bureau of Prisons tried but failed to get Peters moved to a federal prison.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
-
The audit also noted that the shelter had failed to expand medical care, including trap-neuter-return services.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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