LANGUISHED Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

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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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 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 The election bill has languished in the Senate for months, after the House passed a version in February on a near party-line vote. — Miles Parks, NPR, 4 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 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 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 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 The House's effort to circumvent leadership on support for Ukraine comes as bipartisan legislation in the Senate to impose new economic sanctions on Russia has languished for more than a year, with senators waiting for a green light from the White House. — Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 5 June 2026 Over most of the past 27 years, Dolan has been directly responsible for many bad trades, the hiring of incompetent front office personnel and even the expulsion from Madison Square Garden of fan favorite Charles Oakley, all while the team languished near the bottom of the standings year after year. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished

Verb

As impact heating faded, the upper mantle cooled, and the once-thin basaltic crust thickened.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 5 July 2026
On Saturday night, the visibility faded to a point where the old-school scoreboard above the center-field bleachers could not be seen from the press box high atop the Friendly Confines.

— Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of faded

Verb

All three, the panel noted, have weakened or dropped earlier pledges to halt development on their own if certain red lines came into view, and in recent years softened their resistance to military uses.

— Harry Booth, Time, 7 July 2026
It is weakened by surprises, side channels, performative challenge and unclear authority.

— David Ribott, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of weakened

Verb

But on Tuesday, structural columns buckled and floors sagged, prompting the evacuation of that building and several others nearby, according to New York City officials.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
From there, however, his scoring pace sagged somewhat down the stretch of Frölunda’s season.

— Thomas Drance, New York Times, 5 June 2026

Definition of sagged

Verb

The rookie point guard went 7 of 19 from the field and 4 of 9 from 3-point range after struggling with his shot in his summer league debut.

— Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
Desperate to close the gap, Sebastian Berhalter brought energy off the bench and nearly scored, but his shot went wide left.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026

Definition of went

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

Definition of sank

Verb

This was the case for Morocco’s opener, where Casemiro had eyes on two players at once while his team-mates failed to cut out the pass ahead of him.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 July 2026
The stutter-step approach by Bruno Guimãraes on the penalty kick failed anyway and the game remained scoreless into the first hydration break.

— Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 5 July 2026

Definition of failed

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

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Synonyms of languished

verb

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