as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in failing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of languishing
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Labour and Starmer’s approval ratings are languishing in the doldrums.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
United's third loss in five matches across all competitions left them languishing 14th in the Premier League.
—Lori Ewing, Reuters, 14 Sep. 2025
Health Care is bouncing from near all-time lows though remains under pressure due to worries about regulatory change, while Consumer Staple is still languishing with a huge negative spread.
—Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
In June, Yoderlyn Daviana Acosta Peña, after languishing in the Laredo immigration jail for almost three more months, was finally deported to Venezuela.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Rate-cut expectations and worries over the Fed’s independence have weighed on the US dollar, which is languishing near a more than one-month low against its rivals, making gold less expensive for overseas buyers.
—CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
By that time, the building was languishing.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
The concerted, localized marketing push simply seeks to rally the community around invigorating the batch of languishing homes.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
Scott, Derek Jeter’s first Marlins draft pick, is languishing in his seventh year in the minors, now in the Royals’ system.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
Labour and Starmer’s approval ratings are languishing in the doldrums.
—Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
United's third loss in five matches across all competitions left them languishing 14th in the Premier League.
—Lori Ewing, Reuters, 14 Sep. 2025
Health Care is bouncing from near all-time lows though remains under pressure due to worries about regulatory change, while Consumer Staple is still languishing with a huge negative spread.
—Randy Watts, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
In June, Yoderlyn Daviana Acosta Peña, after languishing in the Laredo immigration jail for almost three more months, was finally deported to Venezuela.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Rate-cut expectations and worries over the Fed’s independence have weighed on the US dollar, which is languishing near a more than one-month low against its rivals, making gold less expensive for overseas buyers.
—CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
By that time, the building was languishing.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2025
The concerted, localized marketing push simply seeks to rally the community around invigorating the batch of languishing homes.
—Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
Another reason to like the Niners is the revenge factor after their listless 47-24 loss to Arizona in Week 18 last January.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
In 2020, as a franchise, the Broncos looked listless and lost — a sleeping giant resting on the laurels of orange-and-blue bloods everywhere.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But with its novelty fading and political scrutiny mounting, its long-term future in America is far from secure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The sturdy plastic housings resist fading and cracking and are brown in color to blend with most outdoor surfaces.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
To date, however, there has been almost no attention paid to Ascension's failings that made the attack possible.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Humans and their problems are messy and fickle; ChatGPT’s responses will be individual and its failings unpredictable in kind.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Reed got her first gig at Cataloochee at the age of 19 in 1996 and has never tired of the work.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Manning’s inefficiency was on full display, and the Longhorns faithful grew tired of it during the first half.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the central bank is now shifting focus to a weakening labor market, as job growth has slowed in recent months.—
Mike Winters,
CNBC,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Amodei’s comments come as recent data points to a labor market that is weakening quicker than expected.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Most survived the sinking, though 30 people died after their lifeboats were struck by the ship's rotating propellers.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Webb threw his sinking, two-seam fastball just eight times.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The director noticed that the exhausted Sheen couldn't keep his eyes open even when cameras were rolling.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The result is not just one exhausted employee, but a system that steadily depletes its people.—
Sandro da Silva,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The budget negotiations mark the latest step in the city’s financial crisis, which was caused in large part by sagging sales tax revenue and growing expenses.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Market breadth was soft, the median stock sagging a bit but still in for a decent week.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
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