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

Examples 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 The French Vietnamese director, Tran Anh Hung, is contemporary cinema’s great poet of languor. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024 There are two excellent reasons to savor the series, in all of its languor. Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024 The characters emote with the rich, sticky languor of a lava lamp, and none come to life with the force of those in the works to which Catán nods. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023 Everyone was ready to shake off the languor of the hot afternoon and welcome in the shade of night. Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for languor 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • Avoiding boredom of sitting in the same spot day after day. Cons of Mobile Hunting the Rut As with all hunting strategies, mobile hunting during the rut does have some drawbacks as well.
    Josh Honeycutt, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Reasons include limited opportunities for growth, lack of work-life balance, poor communication, lack of recognition, or simply boredom.
    Sho Dewan, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Rethink your strengths and weaknesses and aim to enforce a healthier routine.
    Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
  • Finally, our adversaries, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, respect strength and exploit weakness.
    Richard Stacy, The Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • And the ambiguous nature of iron deficiency signs — which can include lethargy, irritability, and pale skin — coupled with the lack of specific recommendations for nonpregnant women, means the condition can be easily overlooked, Weyand said.
    Lourdes Medrano, NPR, 15 Sep. 2024
  • Anyone who lives at high altitude knows that the side-effects of the thin air—the dizziness, lethargy, and insomnia—go away after your body produces a few billion extra red blood cells.
    Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 16 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • Nicky’s asleep because exhaustion is a hallmark of the contented child — making core memories is hard work.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
  • As far as looking at the movement, the special does speak to a tiredness and exhaustion within it.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • Neither team fully snapped out of this shooting stupor, finishing a combined 7-for-37 in the fourth quarter.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 Oct. 2024
  • The media narrative has long painted Noel as the pragmatic, occasionally sober musician, dutifully writing the songs and leading the band while Liam peacocked in a drunken stupor as the stereotypical rock star.
    Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2024
Noun
  • The hands-on system truly lowers fatigue over a long day of driving. CHANGE: The brakes The brakes in this tester felt a little soft for a new vehicle and not as progressive as most.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
  • David believes this is just her exhausted mind playing tricks, attributing it to postpartum depression, stress, and fatigue.
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • But the opinion, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., went way further than necessary to insulate Trump from prosecution — not simply before the election, which the court, by its lassitude, had nearly guaranteed, but forever, even in the event that President Biden wins reelection.
    Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
  • After so many episodes, there is no lassitude and the Mbappé saga continues to enliven conversations in France’s sports bars.
    SAMUEL PETREQUIN, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
  • The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
    Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
  • According to this view, the outside world has been generous to Africa, providing substantial aid in recent decades, leaving no excuse for the continent’s debility.
    Howard W. French, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2015

Thesaurus Entries Near languor

Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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