languished

verb

past tense of languish
as in faded
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 languished By 2021, his casino had languished for years, empty and in disrepair. — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026 The project languished for decades over a shortage of acting twins who could play the parts. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026 In comparison with America, the Gulf and Asia, the mature markets of the EU and the rest of the continent have languished. — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026 Yet meaningful, comprehensive control of AI both on the battlefield and off has languished, largely because trust between governments and understanding of the technology and its risks is lacking, Russell said. — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 Those efforts have largely languished or have been outright shut down by the courts. — Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2026 However, Nike still languished as Hill's efforts to turn the company around were taking much longer than expected. — Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026 Willis wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school, languished on the bench two seasons at Auburn (14 total pass attempts), then transferred to finish college for the lower-tier Liberty Flames. — Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026 For 78 years, the boys’ story—and hundreds of others like it—had languished in storage. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
  1. faded
  2. weakened
  3. sagged
  4. went
  5. sank
  6. failed
Verb
  • While maximum speed remained slightly higher among participants on the 10-milligram and 20-milligram doses, subjective feelings of intoxication had completely faded.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The matter was internally chalked up to ignorance about the rules and the story quickly faded.
    — Dan Woike, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of faded
Verb
  • Economic data for July showed retail sales and urban investment both weakened, adding to pressure on Beijing to step up support for the remainder of the year.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This view suggests that the sense of shame was collectively weakened by a series of self-interested actors who shattered the social firmament and opened up the gates to chaos.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakened
Verb
  • Without the regular hydration-and-curl sessions, my hair sagged.
    — Jenny Hughes, Parents, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The alarm cut off, and the blond sagged against the open door.
    — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of sagged
Verb
  • Even the odd chance to counter-attack went badly wrong — summed up by the sight of Ouattara almost knocking over team-mate Mikkel Damsgaard with a wayward pass.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • After that, Brown went silent, not answering any of Redding’s phone calls or text messages.
    — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of went
Verb
  • Bridget Carleton blocked a shot by Copper and grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds to go, then sank two free throws for a four-point lead after Copper fouled her.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • On their first two trips to the property, the enormity of the task at hand—and their utter naiveté in taking it on—sank in.
    — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 22 May 2026
Definition of sank
Verb
  • The Cowboys’ roster revamp failed miserably in its debut against Tulsa.
    — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The explosion was ultimately blamed on an O-ring that failed in one the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters, allowing a flame to pierce the external fuel tank.
    — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of failed

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Cite this Entry

“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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