as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
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 languishing
Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
The projects included $10 million for the redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
—James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Plans for a redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall could get a crucial $10 million boost from a state economic development fund that could help lay the groundwork for razing the old mall and replacing it with apartments, hotels and new retail space.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
The Bruins are languishing in seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division at 28-28-8.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Grab a can of crushed pineapple and those bananas languishing on the counter and give the recipe a try yourself.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
The benchmark is currently languishing at about half that level.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
The projects included $10 million for the redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
—James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Plans for a redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall could get a crucial $10 million boost from a state economic development fund that could help lay the groundwork for razing the old mall and replacing it with apartments, hotels and new retail space.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
The Bruins are languishing in seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division at 28-28-8.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Grab a can of crushed pineapple and those bananas languishing on the counter and give the recipe a try yourself.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
But more than any event other than the multiple indictments, DeSantis’s White House bid lit a fire under Trump and his initially listless campaign.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
2 July 2025
-
Mackey, raven-haired and listless in a bikini top and cigarette in hand, is camera-genic enough to make for an appealing heroine.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The questioning included probing organizational systems in place to manage risk, and NTSB board member Michael Graham noted the breakdowns were a failing of these essential programs.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Mitigating a threat is the priority for every security team, nobody wants to be dealing with the fallout of failings to do.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
The hollowed eyes and sunken cheeks belonging to Wednesday and the tired girl visage is one that requires the cool-toned products Violetta reached for in her videos, according to makeup artist Lauren Wolborsky.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
30 July 2025
-
Cosmetic procedures were once only whispered about, carefully timed around the holidays to create the illusion that a restful getaway had erased wrinkles, brightened tired eyes and restored a youthful, refreshed look.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
Moffett also said artificial intelligence isn’t driving an upgrade cycle as hoped, noting that there is weakening demand in China along with antitrust concerns.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
8 Jan. 2025
-
With high expectations for future new orders along with expanding current new orders, the outlooks for material handling and supply chain industries are positive, despite some weakening in the December MHI BAI report.—
Jason Schenker,
Forbes,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Pop music, like the rest of American society, has reached the exhausted endpoint of the taboo-litigation mania that’s marred the past decade of our national life.—
Armin Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
25 July 2025
-
You’re exhausted in the morning and energized by the afternoon.—
Kelly Stiefel Arias,
Kansas City Star,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
Sophie ends the call before pushing Kyle’s limp body over the side of the cliff.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
23 July 2025
-
So, if a shark goes limp in one of these spots, especially upside down, it could get stuck or injured.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
-
Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 July 2025
-
Perry confirmed the system’s deterioration at the council’s May 28 meeting.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
This downward movement was attributed to both weak job figures and a new round of U.S. tariffs announced by Trump.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Aug. 2025
-
Last month and August 2024 also saw a weak start, so this comes as no surprise.—
Billy Bambrough,
Forbes.com,
2 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share