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 The result was a kind of psychedelic sludge, narcotic in its languor: voices slurred, brass turned liquid, accordions rendered spongy and bog-like. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026 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 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
  • This lick mat is designed to help reduce your pup's anxiety and boredom in the crate.
    Jessica Moore, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The boredom of Cheerios, pasta, peanut butter, and Goldfish.
    Daniel Smith, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • These were analyzing their own strengths and opponents’ weaknesses, forecasting what steps the opponents would take, and making a decision on what to do next.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
  • For the luxury industry, the stakes extend well beyond the immediate disruption as missiles light up the skies over the region that many hoped would help offset offset weakness in China and deliver the sector’s next chapter of growth.
    Ritu Upadhyay, Footwear News, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Records show Bertrand was alert but severely impaired, with limited ability to follow commands, poor judgment, lethargy and a need for continuous nursing care, detectives say.
    Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The question now becomes whether hope can rejuvenate the moribund Aztecs, whether opportunity can erase lethargy.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • My own experience with night pests was at a time of utter exhaustion— too much work undertaken, interlocking circumstances that made the work twice as arduous, illness within and around— the old story of troubles never coming singly.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Prolonged war and psychological exhaustion are already creating strain even among those united in their desire for regime change.
    Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • That’s not to say there isn’t a company-wide stupor after last week’s bombshells.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
  • That’s perfectly satisfying for the lizard brain, but the attentive listener may long for the occasional act two to lift Evaporator out of its honeyed electronic stupor and toss a touch of sand in the gears.
    Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • That mental fatigue is to be expected, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, after Yamamoto’s two-year transition from Japan’s professional league to back-to-back World Series titles with the Dodgers.
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Prolonged dehydration can lead to a whole host of health issues, like headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue.
    Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.

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!

More from Merriam-Webster