as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in failing
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of languishing
Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
In June, Yoderlyn Daviana Acosta Peña, after languishing in the Laredo immigration jail for almost three more months, was finally deported to Venezuela.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Rate-cut expectations and worries over the Fed’s independence have weighed on the US dollar, which is languishing near a more than one-month low against its rivals, making gold less expensive for overseas buyers.
—CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
By that time, the building was languishing.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
The concerted, localized marketing push simply seeks to rally the community around invigorating the batch of languishing homes.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
But all the violence and gore scared off most distributors, so the film—starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) in the title role—has been languishing in the vault for much of the last two years.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
Yet having more homes on the market has done little to alter the enduring pattern of languishing homebuying and expensive prices.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025
The good news for Orlando is that Angel City is winless in its last eight matches, leaving the team languishing in 12th place.
—Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
Health Care is bouncing from near all-time lows though remains under pressure due to worries about regulatory change, while Consumer Staple is still languishing with a huge negative spread.
—Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
In June, Yoderlyn Daviana Acosta Peña, after languishing in the Laredo immigration jail for almost three more months, was finally deported to Venezuela.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Rate-cut expectations and worries over the Fed’s independence have weighed on the US dollar, which is languishing near a more than one-month low against its rivals, making gold less expensive for overseas buyers.
—CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
By that time, the building was languishing.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
The concerted, localized marketing push simply seeks to rally the community around invigorating the batch of languishing homes.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
But all the violence and gore scared off most distributors, so the film—starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) in the title role—has been languishing in the vault for much of the last two years.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
Yet having more homes on the market has done little to alter the enduring pattern of languishing homebuying and expensive prices.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2025
The good news for Orlando is that Angel City is winless in its last eight matches, leaving the team languishing in 12th place.
—Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
In 2020, as a franchise, the Broncos looked listless and lost — a sleeping giant resting on the laurels of orange-and-blue bloods everywhere.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The air was damp and listless and the heat was something to wade through, thick as molasses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This revealed that, even as the X-ray emissions of 4U 1630-472 were fading, the system was still ejecting material at an incredible 20 million mph (32 million kph) — about 3% the speed of light, and 15,000 times faster than the top speed of an F-16 jet fighter!—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
All of these weaknesses are either gone or fading fast.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
If the continuity, cohesion and familiarity offered by those who stayed does not prove enough to keep Leeds in the league, the inability to sell efficiently in the summer window will be seen as one of the failings.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Thailand under Anutin will try to depart from Pheu Thai’s failings as much as possible, says Cogan.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Reed got her first gig at Cataloochee at the age of 19 in 1996 and has never tired of the work.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Manning’s inefficiency was on full display, and the Longhorns faithful grew tired of it during the first half.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Then the hurricane continued on a more northward path around the islands and finally began weakening after powerful 145 mph winds tapered off.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Total job growth was revised lower by the largest amount in history, The revisions erased 911 thousand jobs over the full year period, adding to mounting concerns of a weakening labor market and fueling questions as to the reliability of monthly data being used to gauge employment.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The name of the album and songs on it were inspired by the real-life sinking of a yacht with the same name.—
Adam Bell,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In another instance, the museum spotlights a story about an unplanned sinking of the Orca, when a production boat that was pulling the onscreen boat went too fast and yanked out the Orca’s planking.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The director noticed that the exhausted Sheen couldn't keep his eyes open even when cameras were rolling.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The result is not just one exhausted employee, but a system that steadily depletes its people.—
Sandro da Silva,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Cracker Barrel was looking to draw new customers, especially younger ones, after years of sagging sales.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Policymakers are widely expected to lower their benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point next week to prop up the sagging job market.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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