languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish 
languished; languishing; languishes
1
a
: to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated
Plants languish in the drought.
b
: to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality
languished in prison for ten years
2
a
: to become dispirited
b
: to suffer neglect
the bill languished in the Senate for eight months
3
: to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy
languished at him through screwed-up eyes—
Edith Wharton
Edith WhartonSynonyms
Examples of languish in a Sentence
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web
Black voters are the spine of the Democratic Party, but efforts to ensure their support had, frankly, languished when Democrats thought they were stuck with President Joe Biden running for a second term.
—Philip Eliott / Detroit, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
The change, which takes effect at the end of the week, comes as Nvidia continues to rip higher while Intel languishes in the artificial intelligence race.
—Jesse Pound,samantha Subin, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2024
Some Chinese immigrants died by suicide after languishing in the station, which also mandated segregation of Asians and non-Asians.
—Shawna Chen, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Director Gary Sherman's second feature, about a picturesque coastal town where packs of locals murder unsuspecting tourists — only for those tourists to be seen later wandering around town — languished in obscurity for decades before being rediscovered and hailed as a cult classic.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for languish 
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.
Philip Eliott / Detroit, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
The change, which takes effect at the end of the week, comes as Nvidia continues to rip higher while Intel languishes in the artificial intelligence race.
—Jesse Pound,samantha Subin, CNBC, 3 Nov. 2024
Some Chinese immigrants died by suicide after languishing in the station, which also mandated segregation of Asians and non-Asians.
—Shawna Chen, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Director Gary Sherman's second feature, about a picturesque coastal town where packs of locals murder unsuspecting tourists — only for those tourists to be seen later wandering around town — languished in obscurity for decades before being rediscovered and hailed as a cult classic.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for languish
Articles Related to languish
Dictionary Entries Near languish
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
languish
verb
lan·guish
ˈlaŋ-gwish
1
: to become weak or languid : waste away
languish in prison
2
: to suffer neglect
a bill languishing in the Senate
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share