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
When tested in a higher-stress condition, the quiet eye group excelled, while the control group languished.
—
Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Gold prices surged past $5,500 on Thursday, January 29, reaching a fresh, all-time high while cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether languished.
—Charles Lloyd Bovaird Ii, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
However, the idea for clap skates notably dates back to the 19th century, Maw points out, and just languished until an engineer finally found the right materials and design adjustments to make the concept work.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
American presidents have a habit of reversing the space priorities of their predecessors, so missions have sometimes proceeded full force, then languished for years.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2026
Having been taken to emergency rooms or psychiatric units, the children languished there, sometimes for months, beyond when doctors said they could be discharged because caseworkers couldn't find a foster home or other facility to take them.
—Jean Marbella, Baltimore Sun, 15 Jan. 2026
Trump’s announcement did have the salutary effect of placing the issue of financial services costs on the front burner, after its having languished for years.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Xavier languished in a hospital for nearly a month before dying of his injuries.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Paramount+ languished in sixth place among streaming services, and the bulk of the company’s revenue came from CBS and cable television, which have been in decline along with the rest of the linear-television business.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Gold prices surged past $5,500 on Thursday, January 29, reaching a fresh, all-time high while cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether languished.
—Charles Lloyd Bovaird Ii, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
However, the idea for clap skates notably dates back to the 19th century, Maw points out, and just languished until an engineer finally found the right materials and design adjustments to make the concept work.
—Mark Hay, Popular Science, 28 Jan. 2026
American presidents have a habit of reversing the space priorities of their predecessors, so missions have sometimes proceeded full force, then languished for years.
—IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2026
Having been taken to emergency rooms or psychiatric units, the children languished there, sometimes for months, beyond when doctors said they could be discharged because caseworkers couldn't find a foster home or other facility to take them.
—Jean Marbella, Baltimore Sun, 15 Jan. 2026
Trump’s announcement did have the salutary effect of placing the issue of financial services costs on the front burner, after its having languished for years.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Xavier languished in a hospital for nearly a month before dying of his injuries.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Paramount+ languished in sixth place among streaming services, and the bulk of the company’s revenue came from CBS and cable television, which have been in decline along with the rest of the linear-television business.
—Reeves Wiedeman, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
Verb
-
After my grandmother passed, Italy no longer felt like the mother ship, and the younger generation’s Italian Americanness faded with assimilation.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The sharp and stressful spikes of the pandemic years may have faded, but the baseline tension hasn’t.—
Stefanie Groner,
Glamour,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bass, who was politically weakened by her performance during the fire and its aftermath, was already facing more than two dozen challengers looking to oust her in the June 2 primary — the vast majority little known to the public and not expected to pose any threat.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
New York — US stocks dropped Thursday, continuing a recent patch of volatility, as Wall Street grappled with persistent nerves about artificial intelligence and economic data showed the labor market weakened over the past two months.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Since taking over as GameStop's CEO in September 2023, Cohen has dramatically cut costs, improved the retailer's profitability and grown its collectibles business, even as overall sales have sagged.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Pre-festival enthusiasm sagged compared to the inaugural year.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
So, owner Robert Kraft went with another familiar face and former Super Bowl champion, this time with head coaching experience already.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Feb. 2026
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As for accessories, Union went mostly minimal, save for a few pieces of gold jewelry to add a pop of color contrast to the mostly monochrome look.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
5 Feb. 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
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Winds reshape planetary models Earlier measurements also failed to account for Jupiter’s extreme winds, some of the most powerful in the solar system.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
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But Ryan failed to develop an adequate plan for how the newspaper would thrive in a post-Trump environment.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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