as in fades
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languishes
Mars languishes low in morning twilight for the fifth month in a row.
—
Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 May 2026
In the second, supply balloons while demand languishes, which could happen if, for example, the AI bubble pops.
—Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
No such luck with Imperfect Women, which languishes in the same genre space but is perfectly obvious in comparison, a series that solves its mystery halfway through the season but still keeps going.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Manu has found a home, but in the human world her mother languishes in a detention facility and her father, the head of a criminal enterprise, is known among her friends as a rebel who has disappeared and is assumed dead.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Those that finish from first to eighth in the league phase will automatically go through, and while Barca currently languishes in 15th, a win could take them up into the threshold depending on how other results pan out.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Ditto for his team’s penalty kill, which languishes in the Eastern Conference basement.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
That blueprint has since become a template for developers eager to cultivate exclusivity while testing pricing in private and avoiding the public scrutiny of how many days a home languishes on the open market.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2025
However, more volatility could be in store as bitcoin languishes more than 30% below its record high and nerves linger about the yen carry trade.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
Joe Rao, Space.com, 2 May 2026
In the second, supply balloons while demand languishes, which could happen if, for example, the AI bubble pops.
—Big Think, 22 Apr. 2026
No such luck with Imperfect Women, which languishes in the same genre space but is perfectly obvious in comparison, a series that solves its mystery halfway through the season but still keeps going.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Manu has found a home, but in the human world her mother languishes in a detention facility and her father, the head of a criminal enterprise, is known among her friends as a rebel who has disappeared and is assumed dead.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Feb. 2026
Those that finish from first to eighth in the league phase will automatically go through, and while Barca currently languishes in 15th, a win could take them up into the threshold depending on how other results pan out.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Ditto for his team’s penalty kill, which languishes in the Eastern Conference basement.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2026
That blueprint has since become a template for developers eager to cultivate exclusivity while testing pricing in private and avoiding the public scrutiny of how many days a home languishes on the open market.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2025
However, more volatility could be in store as bitcoin languishes more than 30% below its record high and nerves linger about the yen carry trade.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishes
Verb
-
Shows end and fame fades, but the beef stands will stay slinging.—
Zareen Syed,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2026
-
As for what happens when Pete fades entirely, that remains a mystery— but season 6 will finally have to reveal the answer.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
As complexity rises, decisions fragment, priorities shift and trust weakens.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Excluding unhoused people from public spaces reinforces stigma and weakens the social bonds that support stability and recovery.—
Shianne LeClaire,
Hartford Courant,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
The roof flakes, the porch sags.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Their constant companion in the campaign is the Amazona 180 bag that made its debut on the Loewe runway last October, a slouchy, one-handle style that sags open when left unzipped.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Lady Louise, who is studying English at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, has been helping ensure that the four-day show goes smoothly and has a good royal turnout.—
Katie Nicholl,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
-
Kerry Burnight, a gerontologist who contributed to the research, said the index builds on foundational well-being models but goes further.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Over time, blood vessels begin leaking, leading to bleeding, blood pressure can drop, blood fails to reach different parts of the body and the kidneys can fail.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Why polarization holds where charge fails Ferroelectricity refers to the ability of certain materials to maintain a permanent, spontaneous electric polarization.—
Deena Theresa,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
When the price of a species dips below a certain level, Hudson uses program funds to buy the fish before the price sinks too low.—
Joe Hernandez,
NPR,
23 May 2026
-
More recently, massive desalination plants, which often double as electric power plants, have been dumping hot brine that rapidly sinks, smothering life at the Gulf’s bottom, Riegl says.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishes. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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