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
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
Add a Showstopper If the focal point of your container garden languishes at the end of summer, replace it with a fresh, eye-catching plant.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2025
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
Add a Showstopper If the focal point of your container garden languishes at the end of summer, replace it with a fresh, eye-catching plant.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishes
Verb
-
That relatively minor problem fades into the background when he’s suddenly called back to his hometown to raise an estranged teenage daughter (Hannah Elise Adolfsen Fjeldbraaten) who doesn’t want to know him.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
-
For most people, the effect is mild and fades as your body processes the caffeine.—
Brandi Jones,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When CEOs treat financial advice as a substitute for judgment, leadership starts to erode, decisions slow down, and conviction weakens.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Trump’s focus on the Western Hemisphere — as a show of might that weakens China’s geostrategic influence, Nikkei wrote.—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Queen of minimalism, Janet has essentially just set type in panels—but the way the background sags like a deflating hot-air balloon, with the type recessed into it, is so wry and brilliant.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
There goes his liver, Rachel thought.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But with the June primary ballot deadline rapidly approaching, the delay likely nixes the possibility of the city amending its own tax before a possible statewide measure goes before voters.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Shift from Profit to Purpose While most companies are in the business of making money, history shows that greed as a business strategy often fails.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
And if all else fails, throw a boneless rib eye or skirt steak in the freezer until firm and use a sharp knife to slice it yourself.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The duo provides an invitingly sweet alcoholic heat that sinks into the crumb of the brioche-like cake, giving each bite a literal burst of flavor.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 Jan. 2026
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But Iranians have become angry and anxious, seeing footage of protesters shot and killed while worrying about what may happen next as the economy — the original focus of the protests — sinks further.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishes. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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