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 fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in failing
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of languishing
Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
The projects included $10 million for the redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
—James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Plans for a redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall could get a crucial $10 million boost from a state economic development fund that could help lay the groundwork for razing the old mall and replacing it with apartments, hotels and new retail space.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
The Bruins are languishing in seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division at 28-28-8.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Grab a can of crushed pineapple and those bananas languishing on the counter and give the recipe a try yourself.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
The benchmark is currently languishing at about half that level.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
The projects included $10 million for the redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 12 Mar. 2025
Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025
United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in the bottom half of the standings.
—James Robson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2025
United is currently languishing 14th in the Premier League and is on track to finish in its lowest league position in decades.
—Ben Church, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Plans for a redevelopment of the languishing Enfield Square mall could get a crucial $10 million boost from a state economic development fund that could help lay the groundwork for razing the old mall and replacing it with apartments, hotels and new retail space.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2025
The Bruins are languishing in seventh in the eight-team Atlantic Division at 28-28-8.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 7 Mar. 2025
Grab a can of crushed pineapple and those bananas languishing on the counter and give the recipe a try yourself.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing
Adjective
-
After two listless seasons, Wilson was replaced as the Jets’ starter in 2023 by future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
15 July 2025
-
The Yankees dropped two games in a row after a listless loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday and face some significant questions about their infield defense and bullpen depth with just a few weeks to go before the trade deadline.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Its digital failings look even more stark by comparison.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
9 Aug. 2025
-
Woodland, who had surgery in September 2023 to remove a brain tumor, remains optimistic about his future in golf despite his failing to qualify for the playoffs.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The tired belief that Republicans are better at handling the economy simply isn’t true.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Nations like Ghana are tired of being the world’s dumping ground, although Agbofah is not naïve enough to want the containers to just stop arriving.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Moffett also said artificial intelligence isn’t driving an upgrade cycle as hoped, noting that there is weakening demand in China along with antitrust concerns.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
8 Jan. 2025
-
With high expectations for future new orders along with expanding current new orders, the outlooks for material handling and supply chain industries are positive, despite some weakening in the December MHI BAI report.—
Jason Schenker,
Forbes,
7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The joke is that their jobs have left them too exhausted to do much of anything at all.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
14 Aug. 2025
-
He’s seen firsthand what happens when officers feel unsupported, disengaged, and emotionally exhausted.—
Kevin Kruse,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
If the edges of the leaves turn yellow or dry and the flowers fade and appear limp, your rose isn’t getting enough water.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Fans watched in horror as his limp body descended from the rafters.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
By diplomatic standards, the deterioration has been abrupt.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Other economists — such as those at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and UBS Group AG — interpreted the rapid deterioration in hiring more as a sign of weak labor demand, which would push the Fed to commence with rate reductions at its next policy meeting in September.—
Ashley Lutz,
Fortune,
9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
And if tariffs only cause a one-time jump in prices, weaker purchasing power could slow the economy.—
Raul Elizalde,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Paradise lost Alaska and Crimea remain linked in some ways today, both viewed as historic Russian regions lost by weak leaders – Yeltsin, the first president of independent Russia, is reviled for recognizing Crimea as part of Ukraine after the USSR collapsed.—
Dan Morrison,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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