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
Since the mid-1980s, when the nation (led by California) shut down public mental hospitals (a response to patient abuses and a tax-cutting move), that segment of the health care world has languished.
—
Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
Wendy's has also languished, losing 15% year to date.
—Itzel Franco, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2026
The report would have likely languished in the House Journal, a daily report of activities that few people take the time to read.
—Idaho Statesman, 11 Mar. 2026
Bitcoin has languished this year and is down more than 40% since its record high in early October.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Illinois has languished long enough.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Her claim might have languished there—Thompson also expressed suspicions that Talarico’s campaign was responsible for deleting her Instagram account—but Colin Allred saw her post and blew his stack.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Amir Hossein Ganjbakhsh, a political activist based in the United States, advocates for bringing Pahlavi’s supporters together with those of Mirhossein Mousavi, the former prime minister who became the symbolic leader of the Green Movement and has languished under house arrest since 2011.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
The president’s signature economic policy has long languished in the polls, and by a wide margin.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
Wendy's has also languished, losing 15% year to date.
—Itzel Franco, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2026
The report would have likely languished in the House Journal, a daily report of activities that few people take the time to read.
—Idaho Statesman, 11 Mar. 2026
Bitcoin has languished this year and is down more than 40% since its record high in early October.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
Illinois has languished long enough.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Her claim might have languished there—Thompson also expressed suspicions that Talarico’s campaign was responsible for deleting her Instagram account—but Colin Allred saw her post and blew his stack.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Amir Hossein Ganjbakhsh, a political activist based in the United States, advocates for bringing Pahlavi’s supporters together with those of Mirhossein Mousavi, the former prime minister who became the symbolic leader of the Green Movement and has languished under house arrest since 2011.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
The president’s signature economic policy has long languished in the polls, and by a wide margin.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
Verb
-
The legal battle faded to the background.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Synchronized blinking faded when the researchers sped up the Bach chorales to 120 beats per minute.—
Jesse Greenspan,
Scientific American,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Will they be weakened domestically by entering the war?—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Tornado watch ends for central and east-central Georgia A tornado warning had been issued earlier Thursday morning for parts of Marion County, Chattahoochee County and Webster County before expiring once the immediate tornado threat weakened.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Heaps of leathery brown prickly pear pads sagged into the dirt and ash.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
More than a half dozen homes were deemed unsafe as nearby roads and sidewalks sagged.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Guillermo Rojas Ortega and Juan Villaseñor went with a carne asada burrito, an al pastor burrito and two tacos de cabeza.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Peterson was just 5-of-17 from the field, but went 13-of-16 from the free throw line to finish with 24 points.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The study said the debris could have come from a foreign ship that sank—given the lack of information from the Russian side, who could say?—
Ian Frazier,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
As revenue sank, the economy collapsed amid soaring inflation.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The family on Wednesday filed a wrongful-death claim against the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging school officials failed to investigate reports of bullying, adequately supervise student interactions or implement effective safety measures.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The conflict was sparked by Hezbollah targeting Israel after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, breaking a 2024 ceasefire that in any case had largely failed.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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