as in listless
lacking bodily energy or motivation
his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in failing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of languishing
Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
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
Marisa Lagos, NPR, 3 June 2026
And packaging languishing properties is a fairly common tactic, brokers say.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 June 2026
There’s Haley Stevens, a congresswoman backed by Chuck Schumer and AIPAC who is languishing in third place in the polls.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
With the stock languishing below $200 amid concerns that AI could replace traditional software as companies build their own CRM tools, management aggressively ramped up share repurchases, even issuing debt to fund buybacks.
—CNBC, 27 May 2026
Four days after his arrest, Williams filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that ICE — despite a detainer — had not issued a warrant to take him into custody and was languishing in the jail even after the agreement with the county allowing him to be kept there for 72 hours had lapsed.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Emery, for one, has confirmed his place in Villa’s history as the elite manager who has transformed a team who were, lest it be forgotten, languishing just above the Premier League’s relegation zone under predecessor Steven Gerrard’s management.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 21 May 2026
That patchwork system, known as home- and community-based services, has long been stretched thin, with hundreds of thousands of people languishing on waiting lists nationally.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The sound of boos reverberating around the Racecourse Ground so early on — this for a club who were very recently languishing in mediocrity three divisions lower — further exemplifies why Wrexham have become the new love-to-hate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
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
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, 3 June 2026
And packaging languishing properties is a fairly common tactic, brokers say.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 2 June 2026
There’s Haley Stevens, a congresswoman backed by Chuck Schumer and AIPAC who is languishing in third place in the polls.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 29 May 2026
With the stock languishing below $200 amid concerns that AI could replace traditional software as companies build their own CRM tools, management aggressively ramped up share repurchases, even issuing debt to fund buybacks.
—CNBC, 27 May 2026
Four days after his arrest, Williams filed a habeas corpus petition arguing that ICE — despite a detainer — had not issued a warrant to take him into custody and was languishing in the jail even after the agreement with the county allowing him to be kept there for 72 hours had lapsed.
—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 May 2026
Emery, for one, has confirmed his place in Villa’s history as the elite manager who has transformed a team who were, lest it be forgotten, languishing just above the Premier League’s relegation zone under predecessor Steven Gerrard’s management.
—Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 21 May 2026
That patchwork system, known as home- and community-based services, has long been stretched thin, with hundreds of thousands of people languishing on waiting lists nationally.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 15 May 2026
The sound of boos reverberating around the Racecourse Ground so early on — this for a club who were very recently languishing in mediocrity three divisions lower — further exemplifies why Wrexham have become the new love-to-hate.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
Instead of the fantastical, even beautiful diaper sculptures, we were served the waste products of listless consumption.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
While the show was a bit listless at first, everything changed in that fateful moment when Candice and Penner stepped off the mat.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
The director explains that there’s a very real weight stigma that exists in society and that due to that it’s often suggested that being in a larger body is somehow a moral failing.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
3 June 2026
-
Mary disrupts Clark’s equilibrium with the Backrooms by refusing to validate his excuses for his behavior, fully calling out his failings, his petty assholery, and his glib, solipsistic lies.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
At Eau Bar during early sunset, spring for a poolside lounger to catch a soul-stirring ceremony of bodu beru drummers walking the edge of a circular infinity pool, torch-lighting a fire ring backed by a fading horizon.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
The components might be familiar—guitars that sound like they’re played through a busted Zenith TV at full volume, heavy acoustic strumming à la ’90s folk-grunge group Days of the New, Slocum’s fading read-out of a voice—but they’re all pulled into slightly unusual shapes.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
5 June 2026
-
The Ukrainian president also said the majority of Russians had grown tired of missile and drone attacks, inflation and fuel shortages, and were ready for peace.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
So, when planning began for the Lincoln Memorial in the early 1910s, builders faced a real sinking problem.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
-
Lower flows mean less sediment flushing downstream, accelerating the sinking of the Louisiana delta.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Brooks Koepka, who rejoined the PGA Tour from LIV Golf in January, withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge at the last minute despite being originally scheduled to play, further weakening the field.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 May 2026
-
Second, some worry that some of the financial safeguards and market disciplines developed after previous crises may be weakening.—
Robert Ginsburg,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
International cave-diving teams are navigating jagged, zero-visibility passages while weighing whether to guide the exhausted, untrained villagers underwater or wait for receding floodwaters, echoing dilemmas from Thailand’s 2018 cave rescue.—
Jintamas Saksornchai,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Rice looked exhausted a few weeks back but returned to form as the season reached its climax.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
People with postexertional malaise, the worsening of symptoms following even minor physical or mental exertion, may be at a higher risk for adverse effects from the therapy, Faghy and Putrino point out.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Scientific American,
1 June 2026
-
However, the incidents have contributed to a worsening of the mood around Madrid and should also be considered notable for that reason.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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