as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of languishing
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 July 2025
Without these, even the most advanced models may languish in obscurity.
—Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
He's also languished in the inky shadow of mystery that director Christopher Nolan brought to D.C.’s other major superhero, Batman, starting with Batman Begins.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025
My pansies are pitiful, the lavender is languishing and the salvia is suffering.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
The case languished for several years until the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade.
—Melissa Quinn
july 3, CBS News, 3 July 2025
As of late April, nearly 900 claims had been pending for more than one year, more than triple the number from five years ago, with a small number languishing for a decade.
—Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
Others remain behind bars Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated.
—Yuras Karmanau, Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2025
Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025
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
Adjective
Meanwhile, South Korea stands out as Asia’s best performer amid the region’s divergent performances, while Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia languish at the bottom of the global rankings.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 July 2025
Without these, even the most advanced models may languish in obscurity.
—Vivian Toh, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
He's also languished in the inky shadow of mystery that director Christopher Nolan brought to D.C.’s other major superhero, Batman, starting with Batman Begins.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 8 July 2025
My pansies are pitiful, the lavender is languishing and the salvia is suffering.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 7 July 2025
The case languished for several years until the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade.
—Melissa Quinn
july 3, CBS News, 3 July 2025
As of late April, nearly 900 claims had been pending for more than one year, more than triple the number from five years ago, with a small number languishing for a decade.
—Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
Others remain behind bars Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated.
—Yuras Karmanau, Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2025
Many other prominent dissidents still languish in Belarusian jails, among them Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, a human rights advocate serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely denounced as politically motivated.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 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
-
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
-
An independent inquiry into Wallace’s conduct on MasterChef will be published imminently, while next week, the BBC is expected to release an internal review into the failings that led to documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, being narrated by the child of a Hamas minister.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
9 July 2025
-
This is the 10th fine the FCA has imposed on a bank for similar failings with financial crimes in the last four years.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
The toll on crew members goes far beyond simply being tired.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
6 July 2025
-
If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Blue Jays had a lead and needed efficient innings to spare an exhausted bullpen.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
-
This feature, essentially a failsafe, Young explained, allows CAR cells to take a break, which can be useful in terms of keeping cytokine production from getting out of control and from becoming exhausted from working too long without time to rejuvenate.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
Ionic technology, on the other hand, speeds up dry time and cuts frizz (especially helpful in humid weather) but can leave fine hair looking too sleek or limp if overused.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
5 July 2025
-
In the now-viral video, Otis lies limp and unimpressed while his dad, Jake, strokes his leg with a concerned arm around him.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Precious metals and mining stocks were weak across both markets.—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
In October 2005, a Finnish court acquitted Gustafsson, ruling the evidence against him was too weak and inconsistent.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
With deterioration continuing, a 2014 study recommended the entire span be replaced.—
Carolyn Stein,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
-
Corrosion is one of the leading causes of conventional RC infrastructure deterioration, often requiring extensive repairs and maintenance.—
Carol Cain,
Freep.com,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
But most of the trip was dominated by a drift that was languid, meditative, sharpening the pixels of the present tense in a way that is increasingly rare in our pixelated age.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
13 June 2025
-
The juxtaposition of these two things: classic, early Hollywood decadence, which is languid and which has its own flavor of Americana, next to frank, twenty first century poetry written to music.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share