as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languish
The sector diverged in 2024, with companies such as Palantir surging to new highs as others languished.
—
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2024
Consequently, the Sixers have languished on the court, opening 3-13.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who has a $49.2 million contract for this season alone, has already missed a game with a knee injury and is recently managing a left calf contusion.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 28 Nov. 2024
In November, the shares were languishing at a low for the year at around €82, a 45% drop from a high in April of €151.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Amid the cacophony of activity, a quiet family of three from Ecuador has languished there since March, inside a spartan cubicle.
—Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for languish 
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2024
Consequently, the Sixers have languished on the court, opening 3-13.
Karl-Anthony Towns, who has a $49.2 million contract for this season alone, has already missed a game with a knee injury and is recently managing a left calf contusion.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 28 Nov. 2024
In November, the shares were languishing at a low for the year at around €82, a 45% drop from a high in April of €151.
—Neil Winton, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
Amid the cacophony of activity, a quiet family of three from Ecuador has languished there since March, inside a spartan cubicle.
—Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for languish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languish
Verb
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Sunlight had begun to fade, casting a shadow on the space.—
Colleen Shalby,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2025
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Saturn, nearby, will become visible to the naked eye as dusk fades to darkness and remain observable for around three-and-a-half hours past sunset, at which point the pair will sink below the horizon and out of view.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Elon Musk, one of Trump’s confidants, has already met with Iran’s UN ambassador; now that Israel has weakened Tehran and pummeled its proxies in the Middle East, a diplomatic breakthrough may be achievable.—
Charles A. Kupchan,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
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The widening yield differentials between Chinese and U.S. sovereign bonds could risk encouraging capital outflows and put further pressure on the yuan that has been weakening against the greenback.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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TikTok appears to be back online in the U.S. after going dark in the late hours of Saturday ahead of the looming Jan. 19 ban.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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The 'simplest and clearest' answer for TikTok is a 'clean divestment,' research associate says Heritage Foundation senior research associate Daniel Cochrane discusses the future of TikTok as the ban goes into effect and President-elect Donald Trump considering a 90-day extension.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On the other hand: The Chargers’ defense sagged against Baltimore and Tampa Bay in the second half of the year.—
Jordan Brenner,
The Athletic,
10 Jan. 2025
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But the skin can undergo changes in midlife too, including sagging, thinning and becoming more dry.—
Erica Sweeney,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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TikTok's last-ditch legal challenge failed on Friday, when the Supreme Court said the law does not violate the First Amendment.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2025
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Then one of the legs failed and the lander fell over.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
18 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Butler returns, still wants out as Miami sinks to .500 with loss: Miami is 20-20 on cusp of NBA midseason after a 133-113 home loss to Nikola Jokic and Denver Friday.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
19 Jan. 2025
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Saturn, nearby, will become visible to the naked eye as dusk fades to darkness and remain observable for around three-and-a-half hours past sunset, at which point the pair will sink below the horizon and out of view.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The world’s largest automaker had faced withering attacks for being slow to add all-electric vehicles to its lineup, focusing more on hybrids as a transitional technology.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
6 Jan. 2025
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No one apart from the ultras, daubing new withering slogans on bed sheets to be carried into San Siro for the next league game against Cagliari.—
James Horncastle,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languish. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
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