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 Eastwood stars in both, and both suffer from some of the late-career languors that started to creep into his movies after a certain point, mostly due to a tendency to let dialogue scenes play on and on without much regard to rhythm or pace. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024 That there was this kind of languor, a little bit of maturity. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 12 Sep. 2024 The companionable dynamics in his scenes with Melling and Kene are a treat and help to leaven the languor that sets in the back-half of the run-time. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2024 By Judy Berman July 31, 2024 7:00 AM EDT Summer languor has set in on the TV calendar this July, as House of the Dragon and Love Island USA—but little else—have captivated viewers fresh off June’s The Bear binge. Judy Berman, TIME, 31 July 2024 See All Example Sentences for languor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • The sentiment is notably devoid of any sense of boredom or burnout from the 22-year-old who signed his first recording contract at 15.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Hegel even worried that the world would reach a state of global boredom.
    Richard Stengel, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Though the Red Sox did shoot themselves in the foot with base-running, fielding and bunting failures in Game 2, thus costing them their shot at reaching the ALDS, Game 3 was a bit more representative of the Red Sox and their weaknesses.
    Michael Hurley, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • However, other small business indicators show weakness.
    Jeff Cox, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Panleukopenia - lethargy, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, painful abdomen, dehydration, weight loss, rough or unkempt hair coat, fever, decreased to absent appetite or collapse.
    Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Per the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), symptoms of parvovirus can include lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, severe and often bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating, and fever or low body temperature (hypothermia).
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Additionally, multitasking contributes to mental fatigue and negatively impacts overall well-being, with some participants reporting feelings of exhaustion after.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
  • An intimate portrait of love and exhaustion that finds the comic edge in ordinary chaos.
    Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Symptoms of the more serious illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis, according to the CDC.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • The director does get solid performances out of his French and Italian cast, with the engaging Ronchi (Marco Bellocchio’s Sweet Dreams) playing a softspoken woman who seems to be in some kind of permanent stupor until her confessions bring her back to life.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Most people suffer muscle aches, headaches, balance problems, fatigue and high fevers.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Other symptoms include abdominal pain, changes to bathroom habits, bloated stomach, unexplained weight loss, vomiting and fatigue and feeling short of breath, per the Cleveland Clinic.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025
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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on languor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!