languished

past tense of languish

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 Originally conceived alongside their collaborations on those scores, the album languished as Jóhannsson’s film career exploded before ultimately being shelved after his death. Spin Staff, SPIN, 31 July 2026 In vivid strokes of saffron orange and seafoam green watercolors, Wilson rendered a vibrant portrait of herself plundering birthday cake by the handful as party guests languished around the frame. Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 26 July 2026 Occasionally, even, the lover dies—shot in bed, languished in a cave, or disappeared by the government. Literary Hub, 14 July 2026 The Costume Institute’s main dedicated galleries previously languished in the basement, and the department is responsible for raising most of its own budget each year, a task accomplished in large part by its annual fund-raiser, the starry Met Gala. Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 But the maneuver failed to budge Comcast’s listless stock, which has languished for years as its primary business lost thousands of broadband customers. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 Comcast’s stock has languished for years, reflecting Wall Street skepticism about its combination of content and distribution and its ability to compete with the likes of Netflix. Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 But as fights over AI and data centers have roiled politics in recent weeks, legislation to regulate both has languished nationally and in Missouri. Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 24 June 2026 But only in one of those years did the measure get the needed two-thirds supermajority, so the matter languished. ABC News, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
Verb
  • As daylight faded, visitors explored inside the grand hall and wandered the gardens before the night ended with hot air balloon rides and fireworks over the property.
    Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The reliever the Phillies saw in his first full season as a rookie has faded into a less-reliable version.
    Matt Gelb, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Except that the original ideas about the fundamental value of basic research have only been confirmed during this period, not weakened.
    Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But his father had come home later than usual, and his resolve had steadily weakened.
    Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Flags sagged in the rain and translucent ponchos billowed in the wind, but the sound of bagpipes and a booming sousaphone kept the crowd moving.
    Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The project is located not far from the former Pfizer headquarters on East 42nd Street, where structural columns buckled and floors sagged on July 7 during its conversion into roughly 1,600 apartments.
    Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • Tommy Edman hit a three-run home run for the Dodgers, and Teoscar Hernández also went deep.
    Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The ceremony ultimately went ahead with an Elvis impersonator officiating as Kacie wore a white dress and white cowboy hat.
    Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • 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
Verb
  • Israel even went after Tehran’s own leaders – killing former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – in the hope of triggering regime change, which has so far failed.
    Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Brookfield was able to acquire a different version of the business from the one that had failed.
    Jim Osman, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on languished

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster