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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of languishing
Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Jack Lang, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
And a Picasso masterpiece is languishing in a basement in Tehran.
—Angela Cullen, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
The crisis left some defendants languishing in custody without attorneys, creating delays and concerns about their right to counsel and timely proceedings.
—David Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2026
After languishing on the market for nearly three years, Billy Joel has finally managed to offload his longtime New York residence in the Long Island enclave of Centre Island.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2026
This hunch was borne out when the astronomers found that, even though the globular clusters were languishing in an empty stretch of Perseus, they were surrounded by a halo of glowing matter — a telltale sign of a galaxy.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
Hicks urged Democrats languishing at the bottom of the field of candidates to drop out before the Friday deadline to officially file to run for governor — to ensure their names do not appear on the June primary ballot.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Until very recently, Mahmoudian was one of thousands of prisoners languishing in Iran’s prisons.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Which leaves people like Olivo, Torres and tens of thousands of other Miamians to continue languishing in temporary dwellings.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 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
Verb
Still, even a play-off place is the stuff of dreams for a nation who were languishing in 191st place in the rankings as recently as December 2015.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
And a Picasso masterpiece is languishing in a basement in Tehran.
—Angela Cullen, Bloomberg, 20 Mar. 2026
The crisis left some defendants languishing in custody without attorneys, creating delays and concerns about their right to counsel and timely proceedings.
—David Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 Mar. 2026
After languishing on the market for nearly three years, Billy Joel has finally managed to offload his longtime New York residence in the Long Island enclave of Centre Island.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2026
This hunch was borne out when the astronomers found that, even though the globular clusters were languishing in an empty stretch of Perseus, they were surrounded by a halo of glowing matter — a telltale sign of a galaxy.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 5 Mar. 2026
Hicks urged Democrats languishing at the bottom of the field of candidates to drop out before the Friday deadline to officially file to run for governor — to ensure their names do not appear on the June primary ballot.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Until very recently, Mahmoudian was one of thousands of prisoners languishing in Iran’s prisons.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Which leaves people like Olivo, Torres and tens of thousands of other Miamians to continue languishing in temporary dwellings.
—Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
The sort of listless displays that make supporters groan before halftime.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Just a few hours before his lineup looked listless and his management betrayed a lack of urgency, DeRosa also fondly regaled the media with an account of how late his team stayed in the clubhouse drinking and celebrating their win the night before.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Your experience was not a personal failing.—
Allison Palmer,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Because the Duggars adhere to a fundamentalist fringe of evangelicalism, the liberal media are often quick to use the family’s failings as a cautionary tale about Christianity in general, and conservatives can be too quick to interpret criticism of the family as criticism of the church.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hamlin led 292 of the first 317 laps, but a caution for debris on the racetrack with 89 laps to go came out at the perfect time for Elliott, who was fading rapidly on older tires.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Blooper reels, once common in comedy films, are fading from cinema partly due to the rise of dramatic post-credit epilogues and the shift from DVDs to streaming platforms, experts say.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
They have been seen directing snaking security lines and passing out water bottles to tired travelers.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Step in when someone’s tired or needs a break.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line are also off course, running aground and sinking.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
-
This isn't a part -- this isn't just about a ship sinking.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Seniors are the most reliable midterm voters in the country, and with the 2026 elections approaching and affordability already their top concern, weakening this program is a risk Republicans should not be taking.—
Joe Hardy,
Boston Herald,
28 Mar. 2026
-
However, rejecting the goal of citizenship verification altogether risks weakening public confidence in the system.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Families are still overwhelmed and caregivers are still exhausted, and far too many conversations are still happening too late.—
Alex Rizo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Why tire himself out, become completely exhausted and out of breath, crumple up the bedsheets that were changed just a few days ago, get someone else’s germs all over himself, and then reek of sweat afterward?—
Agnieszka Szpila,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Two of the people with MS, including Miller, have progressive MS, a form of the disease marked by gradual worsening of neurological function and disabilities over time.—
Kaitlin Sullivan,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
-
With America’s loneliness epidemic worsening, there’s a real risk of suicide rates continuing to rise.—
Sam Manzella,
Flow Space,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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