languid
Americanadjective
-
lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow.
a languid manner.
-
lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent.
- Synonyms:
- spiritless
-
drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint.
- Antonyms:
- vigorous
adjective
-
without energy or spirit
-
without interest or enthusiasm
-
sluggish; inactive
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of languid
First recorded in 1590–1600, languid is from the Latin word languidus “faint”; see languish, -id 4
Explanation
Describe a slow-moving river or a weak breeze or a listless manner with the slightly poetic adjective, languid. Languid comes from the Latin verb, languere, "to be weak or faint" and is a somewhat literary word for something that doesn't use much energy. If someone says goodbye to you with a languid wave of the hand, there's not too much movement involved. You can describe yourself as languid when you have that feeling of not being entirely awake — kind of lazy in the mind.
Vocabulary lists containing languid
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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Grade 10, List 6
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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.
The strategists point out that European companies can outgrow their languid home gross domestic products.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
For generations, summer in Europe has been languid and dreamy, bringing fine weather and lengthy days on sunny beaches and terraces.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
The film revels in languid establishing shots of the Santa Clara Valley, with the hilly Diablo Range in the background.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2026
Instead, Mr. Dano comes across as a parody of a languid miscreant in a campy James Bond film.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Suddenly, from under the bridge, with a languid movement of its flat tail, swam a gravel-colored fish as long as a rabbit.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
