languish
Americanverb (used without object)
-
languishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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languished,
past participle, past
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languishing
present participle
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to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade.
Whether the plant thrives or languishes and dies is heavily dependent on the climate.
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to lose vigor and vitality.
Though she was once full of energy, her illness had caused her to languish.
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to undergo neglect or experience prolonged inactivity; suffer hardship and distress.
to languish in prison for ten years.
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to be subjected to delay or disregard; be ignored.
a petition that languished on the warden's desk for a year.
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to pine with desire or longing.
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to assume an expression of tender, sentimental melancholy.
noun
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Archaic. the act or state of being neglected, losing vigor, or becoming weak.
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Archaic. a tender, melancholy look or expression.
verb
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to lose or diminish in strength or energy
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(often foll by for) to be listless with desire; pine
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to suffer deprivation, hardship, or neglect
to languish in prison
-
to put on a tender, nostalgic, or melancholic expression
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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languishsimple
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languishessimple
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have languishedperfect
-
has languishedperfect
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am languishingprogressive
-
are languishingprogressive
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is languishingprogressive
-
have been languishingperfect progressive
-
has been languishingperfect progressive
Past
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languishedsimple
-
had languishedperfect
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was languishingprogressive
-
were languishingprogressive
-
had been languishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of languish
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Middle French languiss-, long stem of languir, from Latin languēre “to languish”; akin to laxus lax; see -ish 2
Explanation
To languish is to become pitiful or weak because you're sick, in love, or stuck somewhere. A prisoner might languish in jail, longing for her freedom. Languish, like languid, is from the Latin word languere which means "to be weak or faint." Your houseplants might languish in a dark dry corner. A Romantic poet might languish on a velvet couch with the back of her hand to her forehead. People in operas love to languish: The main character in La Traviata, Violetta, languishes from longing and eventually tuberculosis.
Vocabulary lists containing languish
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Refugee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Local activists told a different story: It was kids’ prolonged isolation from their families that caused them to languish.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
The division is under pressure to show quick results, but it has struggled to recruit prosecutors and has been slowed by an internal turf war that has caused some promising investigations to languish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Places like Wigan - in Greater Manchester, Burnham's stronghold - often languish next to the bigger cities in whose shadow they sit.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Unnecessary delays or cases that languish in the system can undermine both due process and access to justice,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Not all inmates can be helped, but some can, and it’s foolish to let them languish.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
As a slideshow prepared by an executive explained, “We thrive in the valley of death,” the term for the bureaucratic gap where research languishes without being developed into a product.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
When companies purchased via buyout funds cannot be sold on, investor capital languishes in such funds for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Official readouts and state media reports have not said whether Xi and Kim discussed North Korea's nuclear weapons development, for which Pyongyang languishes under international sanctions.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Jenner is likely taking a significant financial hit on the property as it languishes on the market.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
Poor, dear young gentleman, see how he languishes!
From Our Admirable Betty A Romance by Jeffery Farnol
Nepalis have complained that some Chinese-linked projects have languished, while others, such as Pokhara International Airport, have been mired in corruption.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Yet meaningful, comprehensive control of AI both on the battlefield and off has languished, largely because trust between governments and understanding of the technology and its risks is lacking, Russell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
As a result, upstate New York has languished, while Pennsylvanians next door enjoy more jobs and much lower energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The ETF then languished in correction territory — it never rose more than 10% off that Nov. 20 low — until it made a new low in early February.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
He languished for three weeks at Massachusetts General Hospital, then returned with a huge cast on his leg to the apartment he shared with Ophelia.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
The club he loves are languishing in the third division of Spanish football - and one thing is on his mind.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Had it not been for an $18.5 million seed grant from philanthropist David Rubenstein, the project might still be languishing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
While downtown Los Angeles is languishing, Burbank is booming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
A “negative output gap, a languishing labor market, soft real income growth and unambiguously restrictive monetary policy should alleviate concerns around sticky underlying inflation in the U.K.,” von Ahlen argues.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
If he had expected to find her languishing, re-proachful, or indulging in sentimental tears, he must have been greatly surprised.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
