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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of languishing
Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026
As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Investors are unlikely to see the share price keep languishing and be content with the status quo.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 May 2026
By the time Robins left 17 months ago, however, Coventry were languishing in 17th place and needing a spark.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The family moved to Kyiv before school started in the fall, resettling in a block of apartments that had been hastily reserved for families like theirs, edging out others who had been languishing on the housing list.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Nothing like a little bad blood to breathe a little life into a languishing rivalry.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Our worldview is that rates will come down eventually and unlock the housing market, which should turbocharge this languishing stock.
—Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
The timing of Promising Young Woman, premiering to big buzz at Sundance in 2020 and then languishing in pandemic purgatory before ultimately getting dumped onto VOD, was a disappointment.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Means’ languishing nomination after appearing for a confirmation hearing in February reflects the skepticism that lawmakers of both parties have expressed toward the direction Kennedy has taken his department.
—Mike Stobbe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The skyway corridors with highest density sit directly atop the most languishing streetscapes, Spencer said, and vice versa.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
With statewide homebuying languishing near Great Recession lows, aggressive asking prices seem to spur certain California homes to sell quickly.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026
As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
The sound of boos reverberating around the Racecourse Ground so early on — this for a club who were very recently languishing in mediocrity three divisions lower — further exemplifies why Wrexham have become the new love-to-hate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Investors are unlikely to see the share price keep languishing and be content with the status quo.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 13 May 2026
By the time Robins left 17 months ago, however, Coventry were languishing in 17th place and needing a spark.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The family moved to Kyiv before school started in the fall, resettling in a block of apartments that had been hastily reserved for families like theirs, edging out others who had been languishing on the housing list.
—Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Nothing like a little bad blood to breathe a little life into a languishing rivalry.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Our worldview is that rates will come down eventually and unlock the housing market, which should turbocharge this languishing stock.
—Kevin Stankiewicz,alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026
The timing of Promising Young Woman, premiering to big buzz at Sundance in 2020 and then languishing in pandemic purgatory before ultimately getting dumped onto VOD, was a disappointment.
—Seija Rankin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Means’ languishing nomination after appearing for a confirmation hearing in February reflects the skepticism that lawmakers of both parties have expressed toward the direction Kennedy has taken his department.
—Mike Stobbe, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
The latest instance was a listless 5-0 loss in the finale of a series against the Reds, who took two of three against them at Great American Ball Park, dropping their record to 16-25.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
10 May 2026
-
Carrying the largest payroll in franchise history with World Series-or-bust expectations, the Phillies have played listless baseball for much of April, entering Tuesday with a 9-19 mark.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
More bailouts would paper over the failings of federal regulation.—
Marc Scribner,
Washington Post,
13 May 2026
-
Equally important is practicing self-care and self-compassion, which, Broder says, means treating yourself with kindness instead of judgment and recognizing that your patterns developed as a way to cope, not as a personal failing.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
While fading blooms typically wilt or go limp, wilting of foliage or plant stems is a sign the plant is water stressed.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
-
Avoid placing rugs in prolonged direct sunlight as this can cause fading.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
The film, which stars Hannah Einbinder as a filmmaker tasked with revamping a tired summer camp horror franchise with its cryptic lead played by Gillian Anderson in tow, is set to make its way to theaters this August.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
14 May 2026
-
Each day, after teaching classes for a local extension office, taking online courses and caring for everyone, Denise is just tired.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
This means buildings here are more prone to subsidence, or sinking, and differential foundation settlement, when different parts of the building’s foundation sink at different rates, both of which can cause major structural issues.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
-
The sinking has damaged part of the Friant-Kern Canal, a major water conduit for farms, reducing its carrying capacity and requiring $326 million in repairs.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
No ‘victory image’ for Tehran Ruhe similarly argued that Israel wants to avoid any agreement that restores legitimacy to the Iranian regime without fundamentally weakening it.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Forecasters say geomagnetic activity is gradually weakening, but lingering disturbances in Earth's magnetic field could still spark visible displays overnight, particularly in northern regions.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
But Butcher spent much of season four confined to a hospital bed, and as the season neared its end, Urban wasn’t exhausted.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Maxey has looked exhausted in the first two games of the series and scored just five points in the second half after scoring 19 in the game’s first 24 minutes.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
However, the incidents have contributed to a worsening of the mood around Madrid and should also be considered notable for that reason.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
-
The South Bay has been able to absorb thousands of layoffs yet still avoid a worsening of the jobless rate in the region, Hancock noted.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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