languid

adjective

ˈlaŋ-gwəd How to pronounce languid (audio)
Definition of languidnext
1
as in languorous
lacking bodily energy or motivation a few languid dancers swayed about on the dance floor without much enthusiasm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking bodily strength the tired athlete's languid movements on the tennis court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed the film's languid pace will not be to the taste of many moviegoers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective languid differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of languid are lackadaisical, languorous, listless, and spiritless. While all these words mean "lacking energy or enthusiasm," languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

When could lackadaisical be used to replace languid?

The synonyms lackadaisical and languid are sometimes interchangeable, but lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

When is it sensible to use languorous instead of languid?

While the synonyms languorous and languid are close in meaning, languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

When is listless a more appropriate choice than languid?

The words listless and languid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients
listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

In what contexts can spiritless take the place of languid?

Although the words spiritless and languid have much in common, spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

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 languid The consumer economy, though, is flagging; pork prices have plunged amid a glut and languid spending, in a microcosm of muted demand in the country. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 31 May 2026 The ruins remain the focus of the trip, but Lake Petén Itzá gives travelers somewhere to relax and expand into the languid pace of the north. — Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 In between languid lake swims and sensual forest escapades, old crushes surface and new anxieties rear their heads in this deft portrait of millennial disenchantment. — Air Mail, 20 June 2026 Inside the White House complex, a slightly languid mood, typical during a President’s foreign trip, prevailed. — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for languid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languid
  1. languorous
  2. weak
  3. leisurely
  4. listless
  5. feeble
  6. slow
  7. tired
  8. weakened
Adjective
  • Adorned with almost graphically violent labels showcasing alpha predators -- a shark, a grizzly, an orca, a lion and some sort of particularly angry bird of prey -- the bottles are a far cry from the placid villas and languorous ladies plastered across so many wines.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 June 2026
  • Their first statement signing to launch the project was the €42m purchase of the lanky and languorous Argentine playmaker.
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 2 June 2026
Definition of languorous
Adjective
  • Following a year of historically weak hiring in 2025, hiring rebounded this spring.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • In a weak free-agency class, centers Robert Williams III (Portland) and Mark Williams (Phoenix) are already off the market, each reportedly agreeing to return to their current teams.
    — Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • Mondays have $5 martinis, mules and margaritas, Fridays and Saturdays are for boogying upstairs and the patio at Metro is an any-day spot for a leisurely drink or three.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 30 June 2026
  • That was when the lensman captured the social set at their leisurely and often strikingly dressed best.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 26 June 2026
Definition of leisurely
Adjective
  • 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
  • The length exacerbates all the rest of the series' sins, including a lack of emotional depth, gratuitous suffering and violence, long stretches of boring, listless plotting and extraneous characters.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
Definition of listless
Adjective
  • The gags are both belabored and feeble.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 26 June 2026
  • Jolted by a feeble office market, a growing number of developers are considering ways to convert their office properties to other uses, such as housing projects.
    — George Avalos, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Definition of feeble
Adjective
  • There was no repeat of the slow start that cost him a spot last season.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
  • The house old-fashioned can be made with bourbon or gin and is a much slower sip.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • Depredation occurs when a shark steals an angler’s catch off their line, and Florida’s fishers are tired of it.
    — Kairi Lowery, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
  • Pugh is tired of seeing her mom suffer by no fault of her own.
    — Bryant Reed, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of tired
Adjective
  • The bacterium can also lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication that is more common in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, according to the release.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026
  • While anyone can get sick, young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 July 2026
Definition of weakened

Browse Nearby Words

languages
languid
languidly
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Languid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languid. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on languid

Nglish: Translation of languid for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about languid

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All