as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in failing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of languishing
Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
The poncho that’s been languishing in my glove compartment since that one outdoor concert?
—Kristen Geil, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
The country ranks 118th among 148 economies, the lowest among G-7 members, in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, languishing particularly in the political empowerment metric.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
But other corners of the Argentine economy are languishing, and the president’s party got trounced in local elections earlier this month.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Unfortunately, Thirtysomething is still languishing in streaming purgatory, with the show only available to watch on DVD.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
The leader of a program pairing low-income criminal defendants with free attorneys is out of her job, after a shortage of lawyers in Alameda County delayed prosecutions and left defendants languishing for weeks at the Santa Rita Jail.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Julia, getting exasperated, asks if Adriana has checked in on her children, which is probably a much bigger thing than Adriana’s languishing music career.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
While socialites and celebrities once clamored to buy sprawling apartments at buildings like River House and 1 Sutton Place, co-ops in the area have been languishing on the market — often for years.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
This could bode well for the success of Kohl’s recent efforts to refresh its long languishing store brands.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
The poncho that’s been languishing in my glove compartment since that one outdoor concert?
—Kristen Geil, Outside, 27 Oct. 2025
The country ranks 118th among 148 economies, the lowest among G-7 members, in the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, languishing particularly in the political empowerment metric.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 4 Oct. 2025
But other corners of the Argentine economy are languishing, and the president’s party got trounced in local elections earlier this month.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Unfortunately, Thirtysomething is still languishing in streaming purgatory, with the show only available to watch on DVD.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2025
The leader of a program pairing low-income criminal defendants with free attorneys is out of her job, after a shortage of lawyers in Alameda County delayed prosecutions and left defendants languishing for weeks at the Santa Rita Jail.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 27 Sep. 2025
Julia, getting exasperated, asks if Adriana has checked in on her children, which is probably a much bigger thing than Adriana’s languishing music career.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
While socialites and celebrities once clamored to buy sprawling apartments at buildings like River House and 1 Sutton Place, co-ops in the area have been languishing on the market — often for years.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
Data released earlier this week further confirmed the listless state of the broader labor market.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
-
One was a listless, underweight female goat with no appetite.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
23 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The editor of the Pine Bluff Commercial earned second place for commentary in a contest organized by America's Newspapers for his coverage of the failings of a city tax initiative that promised civic and economic restoration.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The new report only adds to a number of security failings exposed by the heist.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
But her role as fading movie star Kay Stone in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, opposite Timothée Chalamet, marks her grand return.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The days of underground stashes and whispered conversations are fading fast.—
Amplified Content Studio,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The first turned a fourth-quarter fumble into a 59-yard score when Achane burst through a tired, and seemingly defeated Buffalo defensive front and outsprinted the Bills’ entire secondary to the end zone.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Nov. 2025
-
But that feels like a tired, outdated characterisation.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking was quick.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Yet unlike the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, where many wealthy and influential passengers lost their lives, the Valbanera tragedy did not capture the public’s imagination and soon seemed to be forgotten.—
Raul A. Reyes,
NBC news,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Milk, butter and cheese prices on the wholesale market and at grocery stores have decreased slightly due to oversupply and weakening consumer demand.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
9 Jan. 2026
-
This suggests consumers enter 2026 with continuing concerns over high prices and weakening labor market conditions.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Two shivering dogs now sat in her backseat, exhausted but safe.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Surely that has increasing resonance among the politically exhausted and spiritually disenchanted.—
Abby McCloskey,
Mercury News,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
In the old tool, the factors weren’t measured by a worsening, neutral or improving score.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Potential complications include sinus and ear infections; inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle tissues; multi-organ failure; sepsis or the worsening of chronic conditions like asthma.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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