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
  • Experiment with different seasonings to minimize boredom and flavor fatigue.
    Amy Brownstein, Verywell Health, 3 Mar. 2026
  • As a result, the remote operators experience extreme swings in workload: sometimes overwhelming intensity, sometimes crushing boredom.
    Missy Cummings, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The president's endorsement didn't clear the GOP crowded field to replace Greene — some observers cast that as a sign of weakness — but Fuller easily overcame other Republican contenders.
    Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Some policy defenders contend that the labor market weakness reflects adjustments to immigration restrictions rather than fundamental economic failure, positioning this as a deliberate policy choice rather than an economic failure.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In other calls, medical staff asked for ambulances for a 6-year-old boy with lethargy and a high fever, a 14-month-old in respiratory distress, and a 22-month-old with a fever and low oxygen levels.
    Laura Romero, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Severe dehydration follows, evident in lethargy, dry mouth and lips, doughy skin and weak cries.
    Dr. Rahul K. Parikh, Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Long work hours, overnight shifts, sleep disorders, and extended periods of driving can all contribute to exhaustion.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Holding the mic light in his hand, barely touching it, like a delicate flower, trying to hide the exhaustion in his voice.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Patrons — many just as panicked and some in a drunken stupor — ran by her.
    Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 8 Mar. 2026
  • That’s not to say there isn’t a company-wide stupor after last week’s bombshells.
    Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Your intensity works best when sustained by practical habits that reduce decision fatigue.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Nick Pivetta, the Padres’ presumptive opening-day starter, is being given extra rest between starts due to what is described as arm fatigue.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 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
  • 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
  • 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

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Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.

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