languishing

American

[lang-gwi-shing] / ˈlæŋ gwɪ ʃɪŋ /

adjective

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

a languishing sigh.
lingering.

a languishing death.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of languishing

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

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:

languishing

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

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

Kent debuted on the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America Hall of Fame ballot five years later, languishing there for 10 consecutive seasons without coming close to the 75% threshold necessary to be elected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

IBM IBM 0.43%increase; up pointing triangle stock has been languishing since July 14, when it pre-announced disappointing earnings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

“No, Colonel,” Milo said, with a long, languishing, wistful sigh, “it isn’t very good. Although it’s very generous of you to say so.”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023