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 Avs countered with a listless first period.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
14 May 2026
-
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
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
-
By now, however, that view is fading.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
Taj Mahal kept fading and ultimately finished 10th.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 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
-
With a top altitude of 1,100 feet, this position at the highest point in the AVA offers warmer nighttime temperatures than the valley floor thanks to the warm air rising and cool air sinking, while daytime temperatures are lower than in areas closer to sea level.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
17 May 2026
-
After the sinking, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the Ursa Major was carrying port cranes and hatches designed to cover the nuclear reactors of a new icebreaker being built in Vladivostok.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
That separation is now weakening.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
In addition to these external influences, Dini emphasized that long-term domestic instability has left Somalia’s coastline vulnerable, weakening local institutions and lowering the risks for pirate networks.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
But crucially, people are very exhausted by the amount of noise online and by AI slop.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
-
For just one example of how this firehose of data is expected to transform our understanding of the cosmos, consider supernovas, the brilliant death throes of exhausted stars.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
15 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 21 May. 2026.
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