languish
Americanverb (used without object)
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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
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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
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are languishingprogressive
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is languishingprogressive
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have been languishingperfect progressive
-
has been languishingperfect progressive
Past
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languishedsimple
-
had languishedperfect
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was languishingprogressive
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were languishingprogressive
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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:
They continue to languish; the class of 2021 IPOs still trade below IPO price on average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 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
It’s not all doom and gloom in the software sector, as some high-profile stocks have posted standout gains this year while their peers languish.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Nathan Hochman had let the case languish for nearly his entire first year in office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 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
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
Tortora, meanwhile, languishes in squalid jail cells and a country with only a casual regard for habeas corpus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
Jenner is likely taking a significant financial hit on the property as it languishes on the market.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 17, 2026
A happy lover remembers in his transport the glacier glistening in the sunshine; he who languishes from the sickness of hope deferred, sees an affinity to his own mood in the lowering storm.
From Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886) by Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco
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
Three stop-start decades followed as silver prices languished.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Ackman had praised Universal’s CEO Lucian Grainge, saying the company’s stock price had languished for reasons unrelated to its performance in the music business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Former state controller Betty Yee — who languished at the bottom of the polls — held on for a few more weeks before calling it quits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
Out of sight, Francis Gary Powers languished in a small cell measuring eight by fifteen feet, deep inside Lubyanka Prison in central Moscow.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Recent data showed students were languishing in the system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Sir Ed has been under pressure this week to set out bolder policies, with his party languishing in fourth or fifth place in national opinion polls.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
In 2025, SoftBank bought a 2% stake for $2 billion while the chip maker was in trouble and its shares were languishing at $23.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
Diageo’s earnings multiple is languishing at 2009 levels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
“He raced ahead of all his men to see her face the sooner, only to be left languishing whilst she ate lamb and figs with some dried-up old woman.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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