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
Mars languishes low in morning twilight for the fifth month in a row.
—
Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 May 2026
In the second, supply balloons while demand languishes, which could happen if, for example, the AI bubble pops.
—Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
No such luck with Imperfect Women, which languishes in the same genre space but is perfectly obvious in comparison, a series that solves its mystery halfway through the season but still keeps going.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
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
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
Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 May 2026
In the second, supply balloons while demand languishes, which could happen if, for example, the AI bubble pops.
—Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
No such luck with Imperfect Women, which languishes in the same genre space but is perfectly obvious in comparison, a series that solves its mystery halfway through the season but still keeps going.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishes
Verb
-
Ducks’ top line fades The Ducks’ top line of Leo Carlsson centering Chris Kreider and Troy Terry had a quiet ending to the series after a very productive opening round against Edmonton.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
In terms of where to beach, wide stretches of sand in Beach Haven remain some of the Jersey Shore’s most desirable, drawing surfers at sunrise, families hauling coolers and striped umbrellas by midday, and sunset walkers lingering until the sky fades pink over the dunes.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But the weakening of that regime weakens the proxies as well.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 May 2026
-
Jeff Marks, director of portfolio analysis for the Club, said the report weakens the case for near-term Federal Reserve rate cuts because the labor market remains stable.—
Alexa LoMonaco,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
The roof flakes, the porch sags.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
Lady Louise, who is studying English at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, has been helping ensure that the four-day show goes smoothly and has a good royal turnout.—
Katie Nicholl,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
-
Kerry Burnight, a gerontologist who contributed to the research, said the index builds on foundational well-being models but goes further.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
This backward-looking approach fails entirely against novel attack vectors like synthetic identity creation and deepfake social engineering.—
Ethan Stone,
USA Today,
11 May 2026
-
Statistically, the first launch from a private company almost always fails.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
11 May 2026
Verb
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More recently, massive desalination plants, which often double as electric power plants, have been dumping hot brine that rapidly sinks, smothering life at the Gulf’s bottom, Riegl says.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
-
After Jaxson Hayes free throws, James sinks another layup.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishes. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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