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 WhartonExamples of languish in a Sentence
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 13 Apr. 2025
The Khans viewed Coen’s energy and fresh approach as the perfect remedy for their languishing franchise.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
No wonder that, even though tumors regularly shed cells, most escapees perish or languish without successfully establishing themselves as metastases.
—Amber Dance, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2025
The causes of other would-be saints have also languished while Carlo’s proceeded apace.
—Emily Harnett, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for languish
Cite this Entry
“Languish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/languish. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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
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