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单词 languish
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languish

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languish

(læŋgwɪʃ)
Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense languishes, present participle languishing, past tense, past participle languished
1. verb
If someone languishes somewhere, they are forced to remain and suffer in an unpleasant situation.
Pollard continues to languish in prison. [VERB preposition/adverb]
No one knows for certain how many refugees languish in camps without a permanentplace of settlement. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: decline, waste away, fade away, wither away More Synonyms of languish
2. verb
If something languishes, it is not successful, often because of a lack of effort or because of a lot of difficulties.
Without the founder's drive and direction, the company gradually languished. [VERB]
New products languish on the drawing board. [VERB]
Synonyms: waste away, suffer, rot, be abandoned More Synonyms of languish
More Synonyms of languish

languish in British English

(ˈlæŋɡwɪʃ)
verb (intransitive)
1. 
to lose or diminish in strength or energy
2. (often foll by for)
to be listless with desire; pine
3. 
to suffer deprivation, hardship, or neglect
to languish in prison
4. 
to put on a tender, nostalgic, or melancholic expression
Derived forms
languishing (ˈlanguishing)
adjective
languishingly (ˈlanguishingly)
adverb
languishment (ˈlanguishment)
noun
Word origin
C14 languishen, from Old French languiss-, stem of languir, ultimately from Latin languēre

languish in American English

(ˈlæŋgwɪʃ)
verb intransitive
1. 
to lose vigor or vitality; fail in health; become weak; droop
2. 
to live under distressing conditions; continue in a state of suffering
to languish in poverty
3. 
to become slack or dull; lose intensity
4. 
to suffer with longing; pine
5. 
to put on an air of sentimental tenderness or wistful melancholy
Derived forms
languisher (ˈlanguisher)
noun
languishment (ˈlanguishment)
noun
Word origin
ME languishen < extended stem of OFr languir < L languescere < languere, to be weary: see languid

Examples of 'languish' in a sentence
languish

The team is languishing in sixth place in the constructors' championship with one race to go.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The e-mail you send will most definitely get more results than the one languishing in your drafts folder.
The Sun (2016)
They should loan much more to the regions, and more regularly display objects that too often languishin the vaults.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
People who are currently languishing in prison are potential assets to society.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Pearl funds are not the only ones to languish.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The cop is left languishing in prison while the crook makes the most of his new life as an upstanding family man.
The Sun (2010)
It should always be remembered that anyone languishing in prison for a crime he did not commit is most certainly a victim.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He had languished in Lewes prison for more than a week.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Have you got one languishing somewhere, unused and unloved?
The Sun (2013)
Wednesday may be languishing in eighteenth place, but have won six of their past eight league games.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In an industry built on kitsch and cliché, acting ability often seems to languish in a distant fourth place.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A number of other high-profile members of the former regime are already languishing in the prison on similar corruption charges.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This is not a business that is moving forwards but one that is languishing and going sideways,' he said.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The Eagles were languishing in 18th place after a bleak winter with zero confidence left in the squad and relegation looked inevitable.
The Sun (2015)
But if you've got one languishing at the back of a cupboard, pull it out and try the pizza dough programme.
The Sun (2013)
The UK is languishing in 37th place in the world when it comes to the proportion of the population who are computer engineers.
The Sun (2014)

In other languages
languish

British English: languish VERB
If someone languishes somewhere, they are forced to remain and suffer in an unpleasant situation.
He continues to languish in prison.
  • American English: languish
  • Brazilian Portuguese: debilitar-se
  • Chinese: 受折磨
  • European Spanish: languidecer
  • French: languir
  • German: schmachten
  • Italian: languire
  • Japanese: つらい生活をする
  • Korean: 괴로운 시간을 보내다
  • European Portuguese: debilitar-se
  • Latin American Spanish: languidecer

1 (verb) 
Definition
to suffer deprivation, hardship, or neglect
He continues to languish in prison.
Synonyms
decline
Her father's health has declined significantly in recent months.
waste away
fade away
wither away
flag
His enthusiasm was in no way flagging.
weaken
wilt
She began to wilt in the morning heat.
sicken
Opposites
thrive
,
flourish
,
bloom
,
prosper
2 (verb) 
Definition
to lose or diminish in strength or energy
(literary) 
New products languish on the drawing board.
Synonyms
waste away
suffer
rot
I was left to rot nine years for a crime I didn't commit.
be abandoned
be neglected
be disregarded
Opposites
thrive
,
flourish
,
bloom
,
prosper
3 (verb) 
Definition
to be listless with desire
We languished for help that never came.
Synonyms
pine
The dog pines terribly whenever we leave.
want
My husband really wants a new car.
long
He longed for the good old days.
desire
sigh
hunger
yearn
He yearned for freedom.
hanker
eat your heart out over
suspire

Additional synonyms

in the sense of flag
Definition
to lose enthusiasm or energy
His enthusiasm was in no way flagging.
Synonyms
weaken,
fall,
die,
fail,
decline,
sink,
fade,
slump,
pine,
faint,
weary,
fall off,
succumb,
falter,
wilt,
wane,
ebb,
sag,
languish,
abate,
droop,
peter out,
taper off,
feel the pace,
lose your strength
in the sense of long
Definition
to have a strong desire for something or to do something
He longed for the good old days.
Synonyms
desire,
want,
wish,
burn,
dream of,
pine,
hunger,
ache,
lust,
crave,
yearn,
covet,
itch,
hanker,
set your heart on,
eat your heart out over
in the sense of rot
Definition
to deteriorate slowly, mentally and physically
I was left to rot nine years for a crime I didn't commit.
Synonyms
deteriorate,
decline,
languish (literary),
degenerate,
wither away,
waste away

Nearby words of
languish

  • lane
  • language
  • languid
  • languish
  • languishing
  • languor
  • lank

Synonyms of 'languish'

languish

Explore 'languish' in the dictionary

Additional synonyms

in the sense of want
Definition
to feel a need or longing for
My husband really wants a new car.
Synonyms
wish for,
desire,
fancy,
long for,
crave,
covet,
hope for,
yearn for,
thirst for,
hunger for,
pine for,
hanker after,
set your heart on,
feel a need for,
have a yen for (informal),
have a fancy for,
eat your heart out over,
would give your eyeteeth for
in the sense of wilt
Definition
(of a person) to lose strength or confidence
She began to wilt in the morning heat.
Synonyms
weaken,
sag,
languish,
droop
in the sense of yearn
Definition
to have an intense desire or longing
He yearned for freedom.
Synonyms
long,
desire,
pine,
pant,
hunger,
ache,
lust,
crave,
covet,
itch,
languish,
hanker after,
have a yen for (informal),
eat your heart out over,
set your heart upon,
suspire (archaic, poetic),
would give your eyeteeth for
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更新时间：2025/1/24 3:39:09