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
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
Most of the collapse took place on Thursday, with an 11% recovery the next day, but leaving the shares languishing at a price not seen since early 2013.
—Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 24 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
Nothing gets me through the swiftly souring end of August quite like a vision of myself in this sweater, curled up by a fireplace with an epic that’s been languishing for years on my TBR stack.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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
Most of the collapse took place on Thursday, with an 11% recovery the next day, but leaving the shares languishing at a price not seen since early 2013.
—Kevin Rozario, Forbes.com, 24 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
Nothing gets me through the swiftly souring end of August quite like a vision of myself in this sweater, curled up by a fireplace with an epic that’s been languishing for years on my TBR stack.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
The air was damp and listless and the heat was something to wade through, thick as molasses.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
-
After a listless return from the All-Star break that included three straight losses to the Boston Red Sox and mounting calls for manager Aaron Boone's job, the Yankees have won seven of their last eight games as their bats wake up in surprising fashion.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
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
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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
-
Susan has lifted us up for 50 years; and her arms have not grown tired.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Discard the tired-looking center and separate clumps from the outer edges by hand or use a sharp knife or pruning saw.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 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
-
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
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Research published in 2008 links the seismic activity to a slab of oceanic crust sinking into Earth’s mantle.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Gaga ended the performance like an exhausted wind-up doll, caged again physically, but never spiritually.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The apparently recent footage showed two hostages -- Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Alon Ohel -- looking gaunt and exhausted while being driven around Gaza City.—
WAFAA SHURAFA,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Fed reduces rates to bolster a sagging economy and raises rates or keeps them higher for longer to curb inflation.—
Paul Davidson,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Other issues with rotting, sagging and deterioration were present in other buildings, according to the inspections.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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