languishing

[ lang-gwi-shing ]

adjective

1. becoming languid, in any way.
2. expressive of languor; indicating tender, sentimental melancholy:

   a languishing sigh.

3. lingering:

   a languishing death.

Other Words From

• languish·ing·ly adverb
• half-languish·ing adjective
• un·languish·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of languishing¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; languish, -ing ²

Example Sentences

Maybe it was languishing at the back of a Silver Lake dad’s closet.

From Los Angeles Times

While languishing in League One, Sheeran and many other Ipswich fans must have wondered whether they would ever see their team play in the Premier League again.

From BBC

When we arrived at the family home, a few days after the deluge, it was languishing in a sea of destruction.

From BBC

"Culture wars, the war on woke," he said, "isn't the thing that's going to persuade somebody languishing on a hospital waiting list that they'll see public services improve."

From BBC

Rite Aid’s languishing stock, meanwhile, took a nosedive when the company entered bankruptcy late last year and the New York Stock Exchange moved to delist it.

From Los Angeles Times