languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish 
languished; languishing; languishes
1
a
: to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated
Plants languish in the drought.
b
: to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality
languished in prison for ten years
2
a
: to become dispirited
b
: to suffer neglect
the bill languished in the Senate for eight months
3
: to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy
… languished at him through screwed-up eyes.—
Edith Wharton
Edith WhartonExamples of languish in a Sentence
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web
With the stock still languishing in recent weeks, Jim argued that Meta needed to start moving in that direction.
—
Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
The Costume Institute’s main dedicated galleries previously languished in the basement, and the department is responsible for raising most of its own budget each year, a task accomplished in large part by its annual fund-raiser, the starry Met Gala.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
But the maneuver failed to budge Comcast’s listless stock, which has languished for years as its primary business lost thousands of broadband customers.
—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Comcast’s stock has languished for years, reflecting Wall Street skepticism about its combination of content and distribution and its ability to compete with the likes of Netflix.
—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for languish
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Paulina Likos,
CNBC,
1 July 2026
The Costume Institute’s main dedicated galleries previously languished in the basement, and the department is responsible for raising most of its own budget each year, a task accomplished in large part by its annual fund-raiser, the starry Met Gala.
—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
But the maneuver failed to budge Comcast’s listless stock, which has languished for years as its primary business lost thousands of broadband customers.
—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2026
Comcast’s stock has languished for years, reflecting Wall Street skepticism about its combination of content and distribution and its ability to compete with the likes of Netflix.
—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for languish
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish
1
: to become weak or languid : waste away
languish in prison
2
: to suffer neglect
a bill languishing in the Senate
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