Definition of languornext

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun languor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of languor are lassitude, lethargy, stupor, and torpor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When is it sensible to use lassitude instead of languor?

While the synonyms lassitude and languor are close in meaning, lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

When can lethargy be used instead of languor?

The meanings of lethargy and languor largely overlap; however, lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When could stupor be used to replace languor?

The synonyms stupor and languor are sometimes interchangeable, but stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

When might torpor be a better fit than languor?

While in some cases nearly identical to languor, torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

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 languor Infield singles by Jake Cronenworth and Tatis in the eighth inning, both of which caromed off pitcher Gregory Soto, broke up the offensive languor but did not result in the game being any closer. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025 On Girl Violence, Strauss drenches her songs in feedback and languor, adding heat to her expressions of desire and comfort to her feelings of anxiety. Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025 The book’s languor can be ponderous and vintage, more 20th century than 21st. Daniel Felsenthal, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025 This languor expands in the velvety air. J.t. Townley, The New York Review of Books, 6 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for languor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • It is driven by boredom and entitlement.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Having space to recharge helps prevent resentment and boredom.
    Amy Morin, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety.
    Jillian Deutsch, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
  • In signing Díaz and Tucker, Los Angeles addressed two areas of weakness by throwing money at the top option on the market.
    Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Craig the dog Anti-Cruelty Society Pet owners should also be on the watch for signs of hypothermia — including shivering, lethargy, and cold ears and paws.
    Adam Harrington, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
  • According to the American Cancer Society, symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma include swollen lymph nodes, which can cause pain when drinking, fever, night sweats and feelings of lethargy.
    Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • That exhaustion after meetings that drain rather than energize you.
    Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Managing the logistics of displacement is further complicated by endless paperwork, insurance claims, Federal Emergency Management Agency forms and the exhaustion of grief.
    Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Spotlight The Welcome Demise of Climate Change Catastrophism Is the American Left finally waking up from its decades-long climate catastrophism stupor?
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
  • Binging the best Thanksgiving episodes in a post-meal stupor is one way to cope with a less-than-lovely holiday.
    Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • That fatigue shows up in churn.
    Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Sometimes the quickest cure to outfit fatigue is simply adding a bright hue into the mix—below are 15 to consider.
    Fred Sahai, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • Europe’s lassitude is heightened by internal divisions.
    HENRY FARRELL, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
  • As something of a companion piece to More, Jacques Deray’s summer thriller La Piscine is a far more dramatic and insidious tale of tropical desire, lassitude, and violence.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Noun
  • In Will There Ever Be Another You, the main character struggles with an illness similar to long COVID, descending into a state of debility and psychosis as readers experience the chaos of her unraveling life.
    Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
    Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.

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