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
Recent Examples on the Web
The bill arrived in the Senate one day later but has languished ever since.
—Will Swaim, Oc Register, 1 June 2025
And then, as things oftentimes go, the adaptation languished for years.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 31 May 2025
His physical presence before adoring Cannes crowds—to say nothing of winning perhaps the most prestigious award in world cinema—was a stunning turnaround for a filmmaker who, just a few years earlier, had been languishing in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2025
Stocks have languished this week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index down about a percent since Monday
Higher interest rates, both in the short term and the long term, make the cost of borrowing money higher — another factor compounding the financial drag from the GOP bill.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 22 May 2025
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Will Swaim, Oc Register, 1 June 2025
And then, as things oftentimes go, the adaptation languished for years.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 31 May 2025
His physical presence before adoring Cannes crowds—to say nothing of winning perhaps the most prestigious award in world cinema—was a stunning turnaround for a filmmaker who, just a few years earlier, had been languishing in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 May 2025
Stocks have languished this week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index down about a percent since Monday
Higher interest rates, both in the short term and the long term, make the cost of borrowing money higher — another factor compounding the financial drag from the GOP bill.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 22 May 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 10 Jun. 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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