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 No wilting languor on this veranda — for that matter, no veranda either — just ferocity, desperation, and, of course, brutal desire. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025 Nothing like a little languor and ennui — and in crisp black-and-white — on the Algerian coast to usher out winter and into spring. Jay Cannon, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for languor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • The movement feels like a miracle drug for boredom, a long time coming for even baseball’s most traditional fan base.
    Candace Buckner, New York Times, 2 June 2026
  • There is boredom, and annoyance with this passive, oblivious little girl.
    Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • About 50% to 75% of people with NF2 will also develop benign tumors on the brain or along the spine, which can cause symptoms like pain, numbness and weakness.
    Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
  • Set during World War II, the drama examines the mechanisms of collaboration under the Vichy regime through the lens of a man whose ambition and moral weakness lead him to become complicit in the persecution and deportation of Jews.
    Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 June 2026
Noun
  • The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency include fatigue, lethargy, nausea, loss of appetite, and muscle weakness.
    Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 2 June 2026
  • Bluebell poisoning impacts a dog’s heart and causes symptoms like stomach pain, diarrhea, drooling, trembling, lowered heart rate, vomiting and lethargy.
    Amy DeYoung, USA Today, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • How are you supposed to do all that while fighting your own possible anger, fear, exhaustion, and more?
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 June 2026
  • Suffering from exhaustion and severe frostbite on his hands, Dawa was flown by rescue helicopter to HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, where he was reunited with his family.
    Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • But now, the Outback appears to be out of its stupor.
    Byron Hurd, The Drive, 4 June 2026
  • Their apps seem clearly designed, much like TikTok and Candy Crush, to keep users scrolling and tapping in a hypnotic stupor.
    McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Faith Hinitt bought her first home in June 2023 in England, yet began experiencing symptoms like an itchy rash on her chest, night sweats, fatigue and more, according to Kennedy News & Media.
    Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 6 June 2026
  • Designed to reduce fatigue on long-haul flights Bombardier is also highlighting the aircraft’s cabin environment as a key part of the Global 8000’s appeal.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 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
  • And, when pets suffered from cancer or heart failure or debility, conversations about what to do next were emotional but often straightforward.
    Sunita Puri, New Yorker, 6 June 2026
  • His trajectory is one of softening, from the swaggering knight of the opening to the irrepressible lover of the second act to his final physical debility.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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