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
Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
Hicks urged Democrats languishing at the bottom of the field of candidates to drop out before the Friday deadline to officially file to run for governor — to ensure their names do not appear on the June primary ballot.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Until very recently, Mahmoudian was one of thousands of prisoners languishing in Iran’s prisons.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Which leaves people like Olivo, Torres and tens of thousands of other Miamians to continue languishing in temporary dwellings.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
The prospect of languishing in the minority means vulnerable GOP members may be more inclined to rebuke the president in the coming months.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
But keeping them out risks American firms languishing, failing to innovate against the products that are setting the standard worldwide.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Senior District Judge Gregory Presnell took less than an hour to order the men’s release, saying the delay in providing them bond hearings in immigration court left them wrongly languishing in detention.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
To think that this has been languishing in a Kansas salt mine for the last 50 years.
—Kim Willis, USA Today, 20 Feb. 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
Verb
This hunch was borne out when the astronomers found that, even though the globular clusters were languishing in an empty stretch of Perseus, they were surrounded by a halo of glowing matter — a telltale sign of a galaxy.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
Hicks urged Democrats languishing at the bottom of the field of candidates to drop out before the Friday deadline to officially file to run for governor — to ensure their names do not appear on the June primary ballot.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Until very recently, Mahmoudian was one of thousands of prisoners languishing in Iran’s prisons.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Which leaves people like Olivo, Torres and tens of thousands of other Miamians to continue languishing in temporary dwellings.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
The prospect of languishing in the minority means vulnerable GOP members may be more inclined to rebuke the president in the coming months.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
But keeping them out risks American firms languishing, failing to innovate against the products that are setting the standard worldwide.
—Andy Browne, semafor.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Senior District Judge Gregory Presnell took less than an hour to order the men’s release, saying the delay in providing them bond hearings in immigration court left them wrongly languishing in detention.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
To think that this has been languishing in a Kansas salt mine for the last 50 years.
—Kim Willis, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
Nikita Kucherov had three assists in a four-goal first period and added another in the third to give him 100 points on the season as the Tampa Bay Lightning cruised past the listless Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Saturday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Anyway, William chooses to remain drunk, listless, and depressed.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Islamic ethical and theological usage, amanat denotes not only material custody but also the faithful discharge of obligations and promises, and betrayal of amanat is viewed as a serious ethical failing.—
Anel Rakhimzhanova,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
If Iranians haven’t risen up to seize control by then, that could be portrayed as their failing, not Trump’s.—
Michael Scherer,
The Atlantic,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The clubs, civic organizations and community events that once brought our forefathers together are largely fading away.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Produced by Edko Films and directed by Jack Ng, the film is set in 2012 at a fading hostess nightclub in Tsim Sha Tsui East.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Simmons said Tarrant families are tired of O’Hare’s bullying, silencing and antics.—
Rachel Royster
March 5,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2026
-
His poor metrics are the result of the Panthers looking tired and worn down in front of him, and Bobrovsky not being consistently at his absolute best.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Coast Guard and Massachusetts Environmental Police are investigating the sinking of the Yankee Rose.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The sinking killed at least 87 sailors.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That hasn’t happened, and attacks continue to fly, potentially weakening the eventual GOP nominee.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Bank of England officials will now have to weigh the risks of weakening demand in the UK economy, against surging oil and gas prices.—
Irina Anghel,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Players and snaps added or lost are via the portal only (numbers do not include players lost due to exhausted eligibility or draft declarations).—
Manny Navarro,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Each diagnosis brings its own set of decisions, procedures and treatments that quite frankly leave me feeling physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.—
L'Oreal Thompson Payton,
SELF,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With America’s loneliness epidemic worsening, there’s a real risk of suicide rates continuing to rise.—
Sam Manzella,
Flow Space,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Studies show that up to 70% of women report a significant worsening of ADHD symptoms during perimenopause, yet almost none of them were told this would happen.—
Sarah Oreck,
SELF,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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