languish

as in to fade
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 languish Oil prices languishing below $70—far from the $90 needed to balance its 2025 budget—complicate the Kingdom's financial planning. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025 The benchmark is currently languishing at about half that level. Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025 Obsessed with being seen as a proper Southern Belle, Blanche often lays around the apartment draped in her finest frocks, or takes long languishing baths even amid the suffocating heat of a Louisiana summer. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2025 Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Everton, West Ham are in the same place after Moyes’ departure: languishing in the lower reaches of the league with nothing to play for but pride for the remainder of the season. Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for languish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languish
Verb
  • As the water diluted the stains, the fabric faded to a soft pink.
    Rebecca Ruth Gould, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Curiosity fades fast when people don’t feel safe to use it.
    Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Agreeing to a pick swap with the Lynx weakened the value of the pick that the Sky traded away.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
  • One by one, the sectors defect, and, eventually, the leader may weaken and their government may fall.
    Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • This season’s problem have been down to injuries and fatigue, a result of going deep in three or four competitions for the last eight years and exacerbated by an ageing squad.
    Sam Lee, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • That stemmed from the infamous 2017 play in a game between the Orioles and Red Sox in which Machado slid past the bag and had his spikes go into Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia’s calf.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The sagging sales could be due to several factors, including the backlash, but also Tesla’s brand changes in the past few years.
    Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 2 Apr. 2025
  • His sagging defense at the top of the key, while chasing to the rim for rebounds undermines switching and spacing.
    Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Most failed to hit their targets and crashed into the ocean.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Senate Bill 376 by Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, failed to clear the House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee in a voice vote with audible dissent.
    Josh Snyder, Arkansas Online, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Kamikaze sank their first ship on Oct. 25, 1944, when a navy Zero pilot smashed into the USS St. Lo in the Philippine Sea while carrying a pair of 550-pound bombs.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 320 points, or 0.84%, while the Nasdaq Composite shed 2.15%.
    Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Hospital Job Cuts: An Economic Domino Effect Military towns wither when bases shutter.
    Richard Menger MD MPA, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • If ignored … if left to wither under ineffective leadership … losing, chaos and irrelevance ensue.
    Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languish. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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