Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective languorous differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of languorous are lackadaisical, languid, listless, and spiritless. While all these words mean "lacking energy or enthusiasm," languorous suggests a dreamy boredom and delicacy that avoids unnecessary activity.

languorous cats lying in the sun

When is it sensible to use lackadaisical instead of languorous?

In some situations, the words lackadaisical and languorous are roughly equivalent. However, lackadaisical implies a carefree indifference marked by half-hearted efforts.

lackadaisical college seniors pretending to study

When can languid be used instead of languorous?

The synonyms languid and languorous are sometimes interchangeable, but languid refers to an unwillingness or inability to exert oneself due to fatigue or physical weakness.

was depressed and languid for weeks after surgery

When would listless be a good substitute for languorous?

While in some cases nearly identical to languorous, listless suggests a lack of interest caused by physical weakness or dissatisfied boredom.

listless hospital patients
listless children flipping through picture books on a rainy day

In what contexts can spiritless take the place of languorous?

The meanings of spiritless and languorous largely overlap; however, spiritless refers to a lack of animation or vigor that gives one's actions and words life.

a spiritless recital of the poem

Example 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 languorous The rhymed verse the characters speak in doesn’t at all hinder them from expressing themselves colloquially, in idioms that sound better with a languorous Southern lilt. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2024 Rozier constructs his love triangle (or, rather, square) without an ounce of melodrama, focusing as much on the vacation’s languorous atmosphere—and its giddy effect on the friends’ inside jokes and childish slapstick—as on the slow-burn plot. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 15 July 2024 The nocturnal characters spend languorous nights in bars, opera houses, brothels. Judy Berman, TIME, 1 July 2024 But on its own, Season 3 was like a long, languorous meal served over the course of several hours. Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 30 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for languorous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languorous
Adjective
  • This more logistical plot thread proves surprisingly languid for a such a nanoscopic feature, but Kang plays with its withdrawn qualities in fascinating ways.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Martin, ever elegant but rarely a wildly expressive actor, could perhaps do with showing a bit more emotional urgency here to sharpen the interplay with Tom, especially in this naturally languid seaside backdrop.
    Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Newcastle United were listless during their 3-1 defeat at Fulham on September 21 — and nobody appeared more out of sorts than Alexander Isak.
    Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
  • On disk, the Bostonians play with maximum effervescence, but in the Adagio of the Concerto in G Cho’s attempt at otherworldly lyricism turns listless.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • As the netminder made his lackadaisical way back into into his crease, Kastelic fired it toward the net.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Moore really sells the arc from her disappointment in Kaffee’s lackadaisical approach to the case at the film’s start to nearly fangirling over his prowess as a lawyer by the end. 7.
    Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Absorb punches until Trump tires himself out or, more likely, the American people get tired of all the chaos and disruption.
    Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Selections from the trio’s synth-heavy mid-Eighties years sound sturdier than ever within the grand sweep of Rush 50, defying the tired rock-purist take that the trio strayed too far during this period.
    Hank Shteamer, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Dance sections lacked charm; lyric passages were spiritless; the klezmer episodes in the third movement were strictly goyish.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Yet the club dropped the contest in spiritless fashion, 6-2.
    Julian McWilliams, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023
Adjective
  • The problem with doing it all the time is that exhausted people do not always make the best decisions.
    David A. Teich, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • And when those meet-ups do happen, fans are left feeling like an exhausted mother confronted with a mess in the kitchen: Not mad, but disappointed.
    Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The historic start The Wild had been sleepy starters recently, giving up the first goal in each of their last six games.
    Joe Smith, The Athletic, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Today the old town seems to have retreated into a kind of sleepy Norman Rockwell innocence: the distant drone of a lawn mower, the call of kids playing catch, the smoky aromas of a barbecue.
    Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • When the males clasped the female bodies, the female appeared to go limp and the color drained from their bodies, according to the study.
    Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Paul Clement, Ho’s answer to a legal problem in which the prosecution against Adams went limp in its offensive, took the Department of Justice’s request to dismiss charges to the next level in his recommendation.
    Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Languorous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languorous. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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