as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
older people, especially, were languishing during the prolonged heat wave
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Recent Examples of languished
Boosters such as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman loaded up on the two in the hopes of scoring a windfall on any privatization plan, but the shares languished for years in over-the-counter trading as the status quo prevailed.
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Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
The cast fragmented, with the Byers family and El trying to start over in California while Hopper languished in a tonally dissonant Soviet gulag, as though the Duffers didn’t realize that what people loved most about Stranger Things was its grounding in Hawkins.
—Judy Berman, Time, 26 Dec. 2025
That investigation is pending as authorities have reported slow progress in identifying corpses that, in some cases, have languished for more than a decade.
—Colleen Slevin, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
The television ratings for the Academy Awards have languished at historically low levels.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 20 Dec. 2025
At the time that he was appointed director in 2023 of the Valladolid Film Festival-Seminci, Spain’s traditionally second-biggest arthouse event, Spain’s box office languished post-pandemic at just 62% of 2019’s total annual gross.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 19 Dec. 2025
Baldwin first listed the place for $29 million in 2022, a year after the fatal Rust shooting, but the house languished.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 4 Dec. 2025
Williams, who could have languished as a top pick that proved to be a bust, has developed a reputation as clutch and cool under pressure as the Bears have mounted a number of fourth-quarter comebacks.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
Consumers languished in their homes, reduced to shopping entirely online.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languished
Verb
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Once the flowers have faded, trim the stalks 1 to 2 inches above the bulb, retaining the green foliage.—
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The Lakers faded down the stretch to 27 points from the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson and 16 points and 14 rebounds by Victor Wembanyama.—
Verb
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With some estimates putting wave heights as much as 35 feet, weakened hatch covers would have been vulnerable to such waves.—
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The years of horrific violence have weakened Sudan, plunging its institutions into chaos and making its population more vulnerable and poorer.—
Verb
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Pre-festival enthusiasm sagged compared to the inaugural year.—
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His public approval has mostly sagged since his inauguration as Americans worry about the economy.—
Verb
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After that day, when I was given the book which promised to answer all of my bloody questions—my long-suffering American Girl doll went into the closet.—
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On the other sideline, Lawrence went 13-for-23 for 158 yards with one touchdown and one interception.—
Verb
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And the Conference Board’s latest survey revealed that consumer confidence fell to its lowest level since April in November, as assessments of both the business and labor markets sank, and the Expectations Index dropped further below the threshold that signals an upcoming recession.—
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Again, on the heels of September’s rate, short-term Treasury yields sank, but the 10-year yield soared back to its highest point in nearly a fortnight.—
Verb
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The French Revolution began in 1789, and tensions peaked with King Louis and Marie Antoinette’s failed escape attempt in 1791, which ultimately led to their execution in 1793.—
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The Brown University shooting should be a wakeup call to college trustees and administrators, especially now that the US Department of Education will send a team of investigators to determine whether Brown failed to provide proper security before and after the shooting.—
Cite this Entry
“Languished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languished. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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