languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish 
languished; languishing; languishes
1
a
: to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated
Plants languish in the drought.
b
: to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality
languished in prison for ten years
2
a
: to become dispirited
b
: to suffer neglect
the bill languished in the Senate for eight months
3
: to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy
languished at him through screwed-up eyes—
Edith Wharton
Edith WhartonExamples of languish in a Sentence
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web
Police were first alerted to the accusations against Shores in 2011, but the case apparently languished for more than three years, until October 2016, after The Star reported on the Crimes Against Children unit’s failures.
—Ian Cummings, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2025
However, the bitcoin price has been languishing under $100,000 per bitcoin through February, raising the risk for some analysts that the bitcoin price might make a major move this week.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Others have reached for more nefarious explanations for languishing birth rates.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
The current chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Union, is languishing in third at 16%.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2025
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Ian Cummings, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2025
However, the bitcoin price has been languishing under $100,000 per bitcoin through February, raising the risk for some analysts that the bitcoin price might make a major move this week.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Others have reached for more nefarious explanations for languishing birth rates.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
The current chancellor, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Union, is languishing in third at 16%.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Articles Related to languish
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 5 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish
1
: to become weak or languid : waste away
languish in prison
2
: to suffer neglect
a bill languishing in the Senate
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