LANGUISHING Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

languishing 1 of 3

adjective

as in listless

lacking bodily energy or motivation his lingering sickness left him languishing and uninterested in his usual activities

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languishing

2 of 3

noun

as in failing

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Dissimilar Words

languishing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of languish

as in fading

to lose bodily strength or vigor older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave

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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 languishing

Adjective

What this effort points to is the need for a federal right of publicity statute, like the languishing NO FAKES bill. — Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 30 July 2026 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

Americans are spending their days hustling and waiting for the opportunity to hustle, their days broken up into unpredictable units of work and languishing. — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 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

Lawyers who practice in Mississippi told ProPublica that many of their cases were languishing after the parties filed briefs and were waiting on a judge’s response. — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026 Exile and resilience Hundreds of Sudanese journalists are languishing in exile, with some covering the war from other regional countries. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 The 6-foot-3, 204-pound junior spent the last two years languishing in Auburn’s lackluster offense, totaling 93 receptions for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. — ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026 Despite more than 1 million people languishing in sprawling camps for almost a decade, as conditions deteriorate and aid shrinks, talk of repatriation is premature, according to analysts. — Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 Even with the team then languishing at 51-74 at the time, Pasquantino conveyed a certain sense of urgency. — Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, many other projects throughout the nationwide system of parks are languishing. — Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 While downtown Los Angeles is languishing, Burbank is booming. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 After languishing on the market for more than two years, former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley has finally offloaded his bluff-top residence in Malibu‘s exclusive Paradise Cove enclave. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for languishing

Adjective

Marty Zweben Palos Verdes Estates Time for change The Dodgers look completely listless, and waiting for slumping veterans like Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker to snap out of it is a losing strategy.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Berterame started up front along with Luis Suarez, but the duo were unable to find the back of the net in a listless first half that remained scoreless as the teams headed to intermission.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of listless

Noun

Modern interpreters have read his 10 heads as signifying his vast knowledge of 10 sacred texts, or alternately his 10 ethical failings, but the Ramayana account describes him as 10-headed from birth.

— Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
The instinct for many researchers is to treat uncertainty as a failing, something to paper over before anyone notices.

— Aleeza Gerstein, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of failing

Verb

The historic watchmaker, which clocked nearly two centuries in the industry before fading into obscurity in the early 1990s, has officially relaunched with the help of Breitling.

— Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2026
The possibility of finding survivors elsewhere ⁠was fading, authorities said, but there was no letup in rescue operations as teams scoured the mountainside along the border with China where floods tore through towns and valleys.

— Reuters, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of fading

Adjective

That was especially common among Group of 6 fans, who are tired of watching their best players and coaches getting poached by wealthier programs.

— Manny Navarro, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
As the fascination with Ernetti grows into something unhealthy, Béatrice subtly grows more tired, more distracted, more irritable and desperate for answers, small changes Sellier conveys with a smart sense of restraint.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of tired

Noun

The lack of wreckage has hampered efforts to determine the cause of the sinking and where to focus search operations, authorities said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
One of his first major tests in office was the sinking of the Kursk, a nuclear submarine that went down with 118 sailors on board.

— Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of sinking

Verb

If superconductivity in magic-angle graphene were primarily driven by phonons, or vibrations of the atomic lattice, weakening Coulomb interactions would be expected to leave the effect largely unchanged or even strengthen it slightly.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Caterpillar carries a weakening relative strength score of just 4 out of 10 versus the S & P 500.

— Tony Zhang, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of weakening

Noun

Indonesia has pledged to keep subsidized fuel prices unchanged through 2026, which may strain the budget if oil prices rise again due to supply disruptions or a worsening of military confrontations.

— Celestine Iyer, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
Troubling statistics While many of Kraepelin’s observations were spot on, his views on the disorder causing inevitable worsening were incorrect.

— Matthew Kurtz, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of worsening

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“Languishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languishing. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of languishing

adjective

noun

verb

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