languish
verb
lan·guish ˈlaŋ-gwish 
languished; languishing; languishes
intransitive verb
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 Wharton languisher noun
languishingly
ˈlaŋ-gwi-shiŋ-lē
adverb languishment
ˈlaŋ-gwish-mənt
noun 
Synonyms
- decay
- droop
- emaciate
- fade
- fail
- flag
- go
- lag
- sag
- sink
- waste (away)
- weaken
- wilt
- wither
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
Recent Examples on the Web But the fact that my brother continues to languish in prison today is a clear indication that Biden still needs to take concrete action to address Saudi human rights abuses immediately. Areej Al-sadhan, CNN, 1 July 2022 Local government officials over the last few years began to publicly question the logic of granting big tax breaks to upscale or market-rate buildings in hot real estate markets, such as Ohio City, while other neighborhoods languish. Courtney Astolfi, cleveland, 10 May 2022 Many proposals languish or are forgotten, especially if they are not deemed a priority. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Tens of thousands of children born to low-income parents languish on the waiting list for subsidized child care. New York Times, 1 July 2022 In Yemen, where warring parties have blocked humanitarian aid, hollow-eyed children and their mothers languish on the brink of death from starvation. Tracy Wilkinsonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 And our leaders languish in detention in big numbers. Wanjohi Kabukuru, ajc, 23 June 2022 While consumer spending should keep growing in the months ahead, sales at many stores could languish as the combination of waning Covid-19 concerns and high goods inflation drive a continued shift toward services. Justin Lahart, WSJ, 24 May 2022 Even while bitcoin and crypto exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to languish under regulatory review, other products and services have raced ahead. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 1 May 2022 See More
Areej Al-sadhan, CNN, 1 July 2022 Local government officials over the last few years began to publicly question the logic of granting big tax breaks to upscale or market-rate buildings in hot real estate markets, such as Ohio City, while other neighborhoods languish. Courtney Astolfi, cleveland, 10 May 2022 Many proposals languish or are forgotten, especially if they are not deemed a priority. Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Tens of thousands of children born to low-income parents languish on the waiting list for subsidized child care. New York Times, 1 July 2022 In Yemen, where warring parties have blocked humanitarian aid, hollow-eyed children and their mothers languish on the brink of death from starvation. Tracy Wilkinsonstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 And our leaders languish in detention in big numbers. Wanjohi Kabukuru, ajc, 23 June 2022 While consumer spending should keep growing in the months ahead, sales at many stores could languish as the combination of waning Covid-19 concerns and high goods inflation drive a continued shift toward services. Justin Lahart, WSJ, 24 May 2022 Even while bitcoin and crypto exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to languish under regulatory review, other products and services have raced ahead. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 1 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French languiss-, stem of languir, from Vulgar Latin *languire, from Latin languēre
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
languish
verb
lan·guish ˈlaŋ-gwish
languished; languishing
1
: to be or become weak, dull, or listless
"I don't feel good at all. I think I'm languishing …" E. B. White, Charlotte's Web
E. B. White, Charlotte's Web2
: to continue for a long time without activity or progress in an unpleasant or unwanted situation
The innocent man languished in prison.
languishment
noun
as in decay
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- decay
- reduction
- deterioration
- degeneration
- worsening
- ebbing
- decrease
- lapse
- decadence
- sinking
- weakening
- impediment
- lessening
- diminishment
- failing
- decline
- hindrance
- impairment
- declension
- shortcoming
- detriment
- slowing
- flagging
- descent
- drawback
- collapse
- stumbling block
- downgrade
- disablement
- breakdown
- setback
- crash
- glitch
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- improvement
- enhancement
- advancement
- advance
- refinement
- breakthrough
- amelioration
- increase
- upturn
- quantum leap
- strengthening
- uplift
- upswing
- melioration
- boost
- heightening
- upgrade
- uptrend