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 Breaking Bad took place in the languor of suburbia and Better Call Saul in the corrupt organs of the legal system, but Vince Gilligan’s latest show Pluribus makes a home out of the stranger substrate of speculative sci-fi. — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 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 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 See All Example Sentences for languor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • The company granted Hayes free food for life at any location, though familiarity, to misquote an old adage, breeds boredom.
    — Tom Roland, Billboard, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Then came a quieter reaction—people shifting in their seats, glancing at one another, going still in a way that had nothing to do with boredom.
    — Julian De Freitas, Harvard Business Review, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • But ironically, this crowd-pleaser’s chief weakness is its approach to the dancing.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Another source of industrial’s underperformance is recent weakness in defense stocks, a core group influencing the sector’s strength, according to DataTrek.
    — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Phrasemaking is perhaps no contribution to the intellectual heritage of the race, but phrasemakers do snap us out of lethargy, and frequently out of ingrowing pessimism, which may be worse than frenzy.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Be aware of and report any coyotes exhibiting behavior indicative of rabies, such as staggering, seizures and extreme lethargy.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Someone lying on the floor could be battered by exhaustion or genuinely in need.
    — Anand Giridharadas, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026
  • According to Ayer, that exhaustion showed up in the movie, as Pitt couldn’t relax or rely on the typical comforts of a film set.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The Rams’ decision to arrive in Melbourne the day before the game appeared to leave them in a stupor.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Patients may experience a very high fever, headaches, neck pain, stupor, disorientation, muscle weakness and other serious symptoms.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Compacted graphite iron also has a far greater fatigue limit, all while weighing less.
    — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Pauses in breathing, gasping or daytime fatigue point to sleep apnea and require professional medical evaluation.
    — Lauren Schuster, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Stranger by the Lake is a bookend of sorts to La Piscine, as both films seem to condemn their characters, and by extension, the counterculture surrounding them, to a lassitude incapable of any moral authority.
    — Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
  • The result of this lassitude is that cars still rule the streets.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In recent years, white supremacists have embraced the concept of lactose intolerance as a distinguishing debility of nonwhite people.
    — Hilary Smith, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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