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 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
Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
The projects included $10 million for the redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
—James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Plans for a redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall could get a crucial $10 million boost from a state economic development fund that could help lay the groundwork for razing the old mall and replacing it with apartments, hotels and new retail space.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
The Bruins are languishing in seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division at 28-28-8.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Grab a can of crushed pineapple and those bananas languishing on the counter and give the recipe a try yourself.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
The benchmark is currently languishing at about half that level.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
The projects included $10 million for the redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
—James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Plans for a redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall could get a crucial $10 million boost from a state economic development fund that could help lay the groundwork for razing the old mall and replacing it with apartments, hotels and new retail space.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
The Bruins are languishing in seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division at 28-28-8.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Grab a can of crushed pineapple and those bananas languishing on the counter and give the recipe a try yourself.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
However, the first baseman went 1-for-4 in the game, which featured a listless lineup, giving him a .143 average and a .447 OPS over his last 24 contests.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
29 June 2025
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Buehler allowed four runs over a listless four-inning performance, and the offense squandered several key scoring chances late.—
Mac Cerullo,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2025
Noun
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But beneath that was a second failing: the Bears ranked 25th in PFF run-blocking grade from 11 personnel.—
Phil Rogers,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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Peter Johnston, the BBC’s director of editorial complaints and reviews, is examining the failings that led to the film being broadcast.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Mowing Lawns Homeowners are usually away on vacation or are probably too tired to maintain their yards.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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But, in Dick’s opinion, Charlie grew tired of baseball’s daily grind.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 June 2025
Verb
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Moffett also said artificial intelligence isn’t driving an upgrade cycle as hoped, noting that there is weakening demand in China along with antitrust concerns.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
8 Jan. 2025
-
With high expectations for future new orders along with expanding current new orders, the outlooks for material handling and supply chain industries are positive, despite some weakening in the December MHI BAI report.—
Jason Schenker,
Forbes,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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After overseeing five issues in a nine-month tenure at the helm, an exhausted Johnson returned to American Medical News full time in 1990, and Chicago Times folded several months later.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
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The exhausted face of its owner, a tech executive ending another 14-hour workday, tells quite another.—
Pavi Theva,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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Crystal Skull is easily Spielberg’s laziest, sloppiest work — even the action sequences seem phoned-in — and it’s filled with unforgivable howlers: Shia LaBeouf’s limp attempt at being a bad boy, Cate Blanchett’s hammy villain, the goddamn fridge scene.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
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But in the resulting crash, as flames burst all around and the pilot’s bodies go limp, the camera in the cockpit finds Fielder, standing against the conflagration.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Most of the time, the summer slide—in other words, the deterioration of intellectual skills gained during the school year, during a period when kids are on breaks—is associated with a student’s reading skills, says Alexander.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
25 June 2025
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The disease causes deterioration of nerve cells in the brain, a process that sets off a series of worsening symptoms.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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And while the unemployment rate remains low, hiring has been weak, leaving those without jobs struggling to find new work.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
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The inference here is that women’s speech is coded as weak and men’s, the direct opposite.—
Megan C. Reynolds,
Time,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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