Definition of languornext

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun languor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of languor are lassitude, lethargy, stupor, and torpor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When is it sensible to use lassitude instead of languor?

While the synonyms lassitude and languor are close in meaning, lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

When can lethargy be used instead of languor?

The meanings of lethargy and languor largely overlap; however, lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When could stupor be used to replace languor?

The synonyms stupor and languor are sometimes interchangeable, but stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

When might torpor be a better fit than languor?

While in some cases nearly identical to languor, torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

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 languor On Girl Violence, Strauss drenches her songs in feedback and languor, adding heat to her expressions of desire and comfort to her feelings of anxiety. Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2025 No wilting languor on this veranda — for that matter, no veranda either — just ferocity, desperation, and, of course, brutal desire. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025 Infield singles by Jake Cronenworth and Tatis in the eighth inning, both of which caromed off pitcher Gregory Soto, broke up the offensive languor but did not result in the game being any closer. Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025 Breaking Bad took place in the languor of suburbia and Better Call Saul in the corrupt organs of the legal system, but Vince Gilligan’s latest show Pluribus makes a home out of the stranger substrate of speculative sci-fi. Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for languor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • This isn't mere boredom, but chronic exhaustion from performing work employees know is meaningless and potentially automatable, yet cannot openly question.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Swashbuckling and romantic, this story will chase away any signs of summer boredom.
    Toby Rose, Parents, 30 June 2026
Noun
  • Furthermore, companies tend to have an easier time outperforming consensus sales growth estimates during periods of US dollar weakness.
    Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • This helps nourish and protect hair from external aggressors like UV damage and pollution, which can cause weakness and buildup.
    Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 5 July 2026
Noun
  • More severe signs of heat stroke include lethargy, weakness, the loss of the ability to stand, confusion, loss of coordination, vomiting and diarrhea.
    Tanya Edwards, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • Symptoms include fatigue, excessive panting, disorientation, lethargy, discomfort, collapse and seizures.
    Darius Johnson, CBS News, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • Like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed fighting to exhaustion, the two aging legends will look to do the same with a round-of-16 spot on the line.
    David Hickey, NBC news, 2 July 2026
  • That gap between outward performance and inward exhaustion is what causes many owners to question their own judgment.
    Scott Hanson, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Noun
  • But Supergirl doesn’t quite want to deal with the immensity of its protagonist’s feelings; her drunken stupor is often played for laughs, defined by disheveled hair, big sunglasses, and plenty of slurred speech.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
  • But now, the Outback appears to be out of its stupor.
    Byron Hurd, The Drive, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • In an interview with Mental Floss, competitive eater Yasir Salem discusses how speed eaters will chew gum to strengthen their jaws to avoid fatigue during competitions.
    Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Fifty years later, his military haircut glistens with silver from a lifetime serving in fatigues.
    Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • Stranger by the Lake is a bookend of sorts to La Piscine, as both films seem to condemn their characters, and by extension, the counterculture surrounding them, to a lassitude incapable of any moral authority.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
  • The result of this lassitude is that cars still rule the streets.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • And, when pets suffered from cancer or heart failure or debility, conversations about what to do next were emotional but often straightforward.
    Sunita Puri, New Yorker, 6 June 2026
  • His trajectory is one of softening, from the swaggering knight of the opening to the irrepressible lover of the second act to his final physical debility.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on languor

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster