as in fades
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languishes
Manu has found a home, but in the human world her mother languishes in a detention facility and her father, the head of a criminal enterprise, is known among her friends as a rebel who has disappeared and is assumed dead.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Those that finish from first to eighth in the league phase will automatically go through, and while Barca currently languishes in 15th, a win could take them up into the threshold depending on how other results pan out.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Ditto for his team’s penalty kill, which languishes in the Eastern Conference basement.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
That blueprint has since become a template for developers eager to cultivate exclusivity while testing pricing in private and avoiding the public scrutiny of how many days a home languishes on the open market.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2025
Scientists are eager to bring Perseverance's haul — the 10 sample tubes dropped onto the crater floor in 2023 — back to laboratories on Earth, but their return remains uncertain as NASA's troubled Mars Sample Return program languishes in limbo.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
However, more volatility could be in store as bitcoin languishes more than 30% below its record high and nerves linger about the yen carry trade.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
The music, perhaps accordingly, sometimes languishes in a middle zone of wistful genre exercises.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025
Only Kordia — mischaracterized by the government, largely overlooked by the public and caught in a legal maze — languishes in detention.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Those that finish from first to eighth in the league phase will automatically go through, and while Barca currently languishes in 15th, a win could take them up into the threshold depending on how other results pan out.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Ditto for his team’s penalty kill, which languishes in the Eastern Conference basement.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
That blueprint has since become a template for developers eager to cultivate exclusivity while testing pricing in private and avoiding the public scrutiny of how many days a home languishes on the open market.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2025
Scientists are eager to bring Perseverance's haul — the 10 sample tubes dropped onto the crater floor in 2023 — back to laboratories on Earth, but their return remains uncertain as NASA's troubled Mars Sample Return program languishes in limbo.
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
However, more volatility could be in store as bitcoin languishes more than 30% below its record high and nerves linger about the yen carry trade.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
The music, perhaps accordingly, sometimes languishes in a middle zone of wistful genre exercises.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2025
Only Kordia — mischaracterized by the government, largely overlooked by the public and caught in a legal maze — languishes in detention.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishes
Verb
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Singleton acknowledged that sustaining the coordinated, multi-agency model beyond the World Cup will be difficult once the spotlight fades.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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The continent’s funds have seen steady inflows over the last 12 months, after years of outflows, as pessimism over Europe’s economy fades.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Privacy advocates argue that any ambiguity around storage or deletion timelines weakens public confidence.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
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Sending young people far from home weakens support systems and makes outcomes worse.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Their constant companion in the campaign is the Amazona 180 bag that made its debut on the Loewe runway last October, a slouchy, one-handle style that sags open when left unzipped.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Unlike your average and typical pillow that sags over time, this one has hotel-like appeal because of its precise border for a structured, refined look.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Lip Sleeping Mask in Sweet Candy is a bright fuchsia shade that goes perfectly with this sweet flavor.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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Perhaps, the thinking goes, people just naturally agree on certain associations between shapes and sounds because of some innate feature of our brain or our world.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And if Congress fails to renew these tariffs by roughly August, the bank calculates nominal tariff levels would plummet to the mid-single digits, around 6% to 7%.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Feb. 2026
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Woods fails to notice a ball mark in the line of his 4-foot birdie putt that would have won his third-round match against Nick O’Hern.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The weather will start to change Sunday when a low-pressure system sinks south.—
Gary Robbins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Enjoy burgers and rose sangria with toes in the sand as the sun sinks behind the waves, and a DJ’s soundtrack keeps things lively.—
Devorah Lev-Tov,
Robb Report,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishes. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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