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
Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
In April, the moderate Democrat was languishing in the single digits in several polls.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 6 June 2026
As recently as April, polls were showing Becerra — also a former member of Congress and California attorney general — languishing in single digits in a crowded field.
—Marisa Lagos, NPR, 6 June 2026
And packaging languishing properties is a fairly common tactic, brokers say.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 June 2026
There’s Haley Stevens, a congresswoman backed by Chuck Schumer and AIPAC who is languishing in third place in the polls.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
With the stock languishing below $200 amid concerns that AI could replace traditional software as companies build their own CRM tools, management aggressively ramped up share repurchases, even issuing debt to fund buybacks.
—CNBC, 27 May 2026
Four days after his arrest, Williams filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that ICE — despite a detainer — had not issued a warrant to take him into custody and was languishing in the jail even after the agreement with the county allowing him to be kept there for 72 hours had lapsed.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Emery, for one, has confirmed his place in Villa’s history as the elite manager who has transformed a team who were, lest it be forgotten, languishing just above the Premier League’s relegation zone under predecessor Steven Gerrard’s management.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 21 May 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
But the market has never trusted that the gap can be bridged, and the stock has been languishing below NAV for much of its history.
—Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 8 June 2026
In April, the moderate Democrat was languishing in the single digits in several polls.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 6 June 2026
As recently as April, polls were showing Becerra — also a former member of Congress and California attorney general — languishing in single digits in a crowded field.
—Marisa Lagos, NPR, 6 June 2026
And packaging languishing properties is a fairly common tactic, brokers say.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 June 2026
There’s Haley Stevens, a congresswoman backed by Chuck Schumer and AIPAC who is languishing in third place in the polls.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
With the stock languishing below $200 amid concerns that AI could replace traditional software as companies build their own CRM tools, management aggressively ramped up share repurchases, even issuing debt to fund buybacks.
—CNBC, 27 May 2026
Four days after his arrest, Williams filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that ICE — despite a detainer — had not issued a warrant to take him into custody and was languishing in the jail even after the agreement with the county allowing him to be kept there for 72 hours had lapsed.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Emery, for one, has confirmed his place in Villa’s history as the elite manager who has transformed a team who were, lest it be forgotten, languishing just above the Premier League’s relegation zone under predecessor Steven Gerrard’s management.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
The length exacerbates all the rest of the series' sins, including a lack of emotional depth, gratuitous suffering and violence, long stretches of boring, listless plotting and extraneous characters.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
Instead of the fantastical, even beautiful diaper sculptures, we were served the waste products of listless consumption.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
In all these books, animals serve as mirrors, reflecting our personal and societal shortcomings and shame, our hubris, anxiety, and moral failings.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Shortly after the theft, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu accused the Drents Museum of security failings—a claim the museum rejected—amid mounting threats of legal action against the Dutch.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The lefty was fading in his fourth inning.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 June 2026
-
The era of checklist sightseeing is fading.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
My wife lowers her gaze as if tired, rubbing the side of her glass with her fingers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
The first step is to avoid the tired trap of pitting a liberal arts education against a technical or practical one.—
Jamie Merisotis,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
So, when planning began for the Lincoln Memorial in the early 1910s, builders faced a real sinking problem.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
Lower flows mean less sediment flushing downstream, accelerating the sinking of the Louisiana delta.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
In conclusion, autonomous AI risks undermining the essential human spirit of science and weakening its role as an arbiter of social conflicts.—
Mohammad Hosseini,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
-
Critics argue the measures risk worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis on the island without meaningfully weakening the government.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The workplace fills up with work that looks finished, sounds confident, and is hollow enough that some exhausted human — usually without credit or reward — still has to mop it up.—
Joe McKendrick,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
The governing body has so crowded the playing calendar that many of the better players in the world come into the tournament mentally exhausted and physically gassed.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
For example, stopping antidepressants or anxiety medication can lead to severe worsening of the condition or potentially dangerous withdrawals.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
-
People with postexertional malaise, the worsening of symptoms following even minor physical or mental exertion, may be at a higher risk for adverse effects from the therapy, Faghy and Putrino point out.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Scientific American,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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