as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languished
The cool nights and crisp clear days of fall rejuvenate flowering annuals and perennials that may have languished in the heat of summer.
—
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025
The very mention of a ‘Big Six’ can raise the hackles of supporters of the other 14 clubs, particularly after a season in which Newcastle, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest came fifth, sixth and seventh while Manchester United languished in 15th and Tottenham Hotspur 17th.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Multiple lawsuits were filed in 2020 that accused the city of being slow in releasing records, and thousands of requests — mostly to the police department — have languished in an online portal.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
The Fifteen Year Journey to the Three-Year Degree After the idea languished for nearly a decade, Western Governors University (WGU) emerged as an early pioneer in 2018, demonstrating the viability of sub-120 credit bachelor’s degree programs by offering degrees ranging from 97 to 110 credit hours.
—Bryan Penprase, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
This masterly music might have languished in obscurity—like most of Riley’s other records, which remain high-price rarities in the vinyl market—but for Columbia’s reach.
—William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025
Created in 2019, the specification had languished in relative obscurity for years because the cheap, plentiful non-Express microSD cards were generally fast enough for the things that people were using them for, and because most hardware didn't support microSD Express cards in the first place.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2025
Both bills, which have languished in the Senate since their respective 2015 and 2019 introductions, would block states from chipping away at anti-disenfranchisement and anti-gerrymandering laws.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Afterward, Streisand’s place languished on the market, eventually selling for $4 million — half of what Carey was said to have offered.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2025
The very mention of a ‘Big Six’ can raise the hackles of supporters of the other 14 clubs, particularly after a season in which Newcastle, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest came fifth, sixth and seventh while Manchester United languished in 15th and Tottenham Hotspur 17th.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
Multiple lawsuits were filed in 2020 that accused the city of being slow in releasing records, and thousands of requests — mostly to the police department — have languished in an online portal.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2025
The Fifteen Year Journey to the Three-Year Degree After the idea languished for nearly a decade, Western Governors University (WGU) emerged as an early pioneer in 2018, demonstrating the viability of sub-120 credit bachelor’s degree programs by offering degrees ranging from 97 to 110 credit hours.
—Bryan Penprase, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
This masterly music might have languished in obscurity—like most of Riley’s other records, which remain high-price rarities in the vinyl market—but for Columbia’s reach.
—William Robin, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2025
Created in 2019, the specification had languished in relative obscurity for years because the cheap, plentiful non-Express microSD cards were generally fast enough for the things that people were using them for, and because most hardware didn't support microSD Express cards in the first place.
—Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 15 Aug. 2025
Both bills, which have languished in the Senate since their respective 2015 and 2019 introductions, would block states from chipping away at anti-disenfranchisement and anti-gerrymandering laws.
—David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Afterward, Streisand’s place languished on the market, eventually selling for $4 million — half of what Carey was said to have offered.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
Verb
-
But the worries quickly faded as the day began with calm waters.—
Amelia Wu,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
But while overall buyer demand has faded, new home construction has helped prop up housing market values in Sun Belt markets, Zillow found.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Childhood illnesses had severely weakened her own heart.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Since then, the legal safeguards against such encounters have weakened.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Federal Reserve had been pressured to keep interest rates low to facilitate wartime financing, resulting in a dollar that sagged badly from its official gold parity.—
Nathan Lewis,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Jefferson-Wooden went into these championships as a strong favorite to secure the victory.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
This year, Tillman went head-to-head with another Severance star Zach Cherry.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But after spending nearly three decades sitting dormant in Philadelphia, the ship was sold to Okaloosa County in Florida, to be sunk and turned into an artificial reef.—
Danny Freeman,
CNN Money,
7 Aug. 2025
-
George Rose/Getty Images A 2024 study by Stanford researchers found that the San Joaquin Valley, the southern portion of the California Central Valley, has sunk at a record rate over the past 20 years, plunging by nearly an inch per year between 2006 and 2022.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
As the swells grew and the troughs sunk deeper, an ominous feeling settled upon us.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
-
This lesson plan includes no discussion of how, in the name of socialism and equality, Cold War despots in Russia, Romania, Poland and other Eastern Bloc counties slaughtered innocents, seized property and sunk their countries into starvation-level poverty.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Yet most failed to note the hospital’s long-standing use as a base for Hamas operations.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Although his shoes contained 10 ounces of highly explosive material, his attempt to light the fuse failed because of foot perspiration.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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