languid

[lang-gwid]

See more synonyms for languid on Thesaurus.com

adjective

lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow: a languid manner.
lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint.

Origin of languid

First recorded in 1590–1600, languid is from the Latin word languidus faint. See languish, -id⁴

Related formslan·guid·ly, adverblan·guid·ness, nounun·lan·guid, adjectiveun·lan·guid·ly, adverbun·lan·guid·ness, noun

Synonyms for languid

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1. inactive, inert, sluggish, torpid. 2. spiritless. 3. weak, feeble, weary, exhausted, debilitated.

Antonyms for languid

1. active, energetic. 3. vigorous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for languid

lazy, languorous, unhurried, leisurely, laid-back, lackadaisical, sluggish, lethargic, apathetic, blah, comatose, dopey, easy, enervated, faint, feeble, heavy, impassive, inactive, indifferent

Examples from the Web for languid

Contemporary Examples of languid

All night long they struggle; nobody knows the name of the harsh light that keeps slowly opening like a languid fruit.
In Chile, Poetry Outlives the Dictators
Jay Parini
October 27, 2014
In or out of uniform his motion is languid, his voice relaxed and mellifluous, his movements deliberate, confident.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up
Tom Boswell
September 27, 2014
He was more finely bred than any American she had met, with his bone-china accent, willowy height and languid wit.
Tallulah Bankhead: Gay, Drunk and Liberated in an Era of Excess Art
Judith Mackrell
January 25, 2014
Though his motion was languid, the ball seemed to explode off his fingertips, to gather speed as it crossed the diamond.
Good Glove, No Hit
David Goodwillie
September 9, 2011
By that he means, and I soon discovered, that the pacing is languid and perfectly in keeping with real police procedure.
The Original Stieg Larsson
Sarah Weinman
July 27, 2010

Historical Examples of languid

Her applause was not languid applause, neither was it without discrimination.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
Mrs. Beaufort, languid and afflicted with headache, said little.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
But this languid century was to close with a tremendous explosion.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 59, No. 364, February 1846
Various
She lifted a deep, languid glance upon me and shook her head.
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
With a languid movement she eked out the thought that was in her.
Nana, The Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for languid

languid

adjective

without energy or spirit
without interest or enthusiasm
sluggish; inactive

Derived Formslanguidly, adverblanguidness, noun

Word Origin for languid

C16: from Latin languidus, from languēre to languish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for languid

adj.

1590s, from Middle French languide (16c.) and directly from Latin languidus "faint, listless," from languere "be weak or faint," from PIE root *(s)leg- "to be slack" (see lax). Related: Languidly; languidness.