languishing 1 of 3

adjective

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

languishing

2 of 3

noun

as in failing

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

languishing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of languish
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

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
Adjective
The skyway corridors with highest density sit directly atop the most languishing streetscapes, Spencer said, and vice versa. — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Noun
With statewide homebuying languishing near Great Recession lows, aggressive asking prices seem to spur certain California homes to sell quickly. — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026 As the castle’s internal order collapses under the weight of a string of baffling crimes, Araki strikes a fragile alliance with Kuroda Kanbei – a razor-minded captive languishing in his own dungeon – in a race to root out a traitor before Oda’s army closes in. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
The Los Angeles Angels are currently Major League Baseball's worst team, languishing in last place in the AL West after being swept by the Boston Red Sox. — Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 His party is already languishing behind the PP in the polls, and there’s another scandal brewing that could well see him off. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 5 July 2026 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 After languishing for more than a year, Perry’s nomination for Chicago’s top federal law enforcement post was pulled, and Biden instead nominated her for federal district judge in 2024. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026 But the market has never trusted that the gap can be bridged, and the stock has been languishing below NAV for much of its history. — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 8 June 2026 In April, the moderate Democrat was languishing in the single digits in several polls. — Terry Collins, USA Today, 6 June 2026 As recently as April, polls were showing Becerra — also a former member of Congress and California attorney general — languishing in single digits in a crowded field. — Marisa Lagos, NPR, 6 June 2026 And packaging languishing properties is a fairly common tactic, brokers say. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
  1. listless
  2. failing
  3. fading
  4. tired
  5. sinking
  6. weakening
  7. exhausted
  8. worsening
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
Noun
  • Yet, for those failings, the Selecao found a way to come through on both occasions – mainly due to the in-game changes Ancelotti made.
    — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • Such failings merits more analysis but there is surely some truth in left back Ali Abdi’s comments after a 4-0 filleting by Japan in their second game.
    — Carl Anka, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of failing
Verb
  • More than a week after the disaster, search-and-rescue operations remain active, though hopes of finding additional survivors are rapidly fading.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • Thousands remain missing more than a week after the twin earthquakes struck Venezuela and hope for finding survivors is fading into and effort to recover remains.
    — Greg Dixon, NPR, 2 July 2026
Definition of fading
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
Noun
  • That system sends air sinking, pressure increasing and temperatures rising.
    — Alexa St. John, Fortune, 30 June 2026
  • Finding the wreck Official records detailing Hōfuku Maru’s sinking were incomplete and inconsistent, Beckensall said.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 18 June 2026
Definition of sinking
Verb
  • Goldman Sachs predicts a sustained dollar weakening in 2026, driven by fiscal concerns and shifting global asset demand, marking a structural shift rather than a cyclical dip.
    — Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Ukrainian officials describe the strikes as a campaign to pressure Moscow to end the war by undermining its military logistics and supply lines and weakening its ability to mount assaults along the front.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of weakening
Adjective
  • While no special launch event has been announced, these popular toys will be available at participating restaurants until supplies are exhausted.
    — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Historical evidence supports this portrayal to some extent, with exhausted monks leaving wry marginal notes.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Definition of exhausted
Noun
  • While alcohol may transiently improve mood and ease social anxiety, long-term alcohol use can lead to a worsening of mood, cognition and sleep, which can further compound use.
    — Emma Fenske, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Limited evidence suggests that people with genetic deficiencies of CoQ10 who abruptly stop taking it can experience a worsening of kidney function.
    — Megan Nunn, Verywell Health, 16 June 2026
Definition of worsening

Browse Nearby Words

languishes
languishing
languishment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on languishing

Nglish: Translation of languishing for Spanish Speakers

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’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
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
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All