languish

[ lang-gwish ]
/ ˈlæŋ gwɪʃ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR languish ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

noun

the act or state of languishing.
a tender, melancholy look or expression.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of languish

1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French languiss-, long stem of languir ≪ Latin languēre to languish; akin to laxus lax; see -ish2

OTHER WORDS FROM languish

lan·guish·er, noun

Words nearby languish

languedoc, languedoc-roussillon, languet, languette, languid, languish, languishing, languishment, languor, languorous, langur
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to languish

dwindle, faint, wither, deteriorate, fail, suffer, rot, weaken, despond, ebb, hunger, sigh, yearn, pine, decline, brood, repine, long, fade, waste

Example sentences from the Web for languish

British Dictionary definitions for languish

languish
/ (ˈlæŋɡwɪʃ) /

verb (intr)

to lose or diminish in strength or energy
(often foll by for) to be listless with desire; pine
to suffer deprivation, hardship, or neglectto languish in prison
to put on a tender, nostalgic, or melancholic expression

Derived forms of languish

languishing, adjectivelanguishingly, adverblanguishment, noun

Word Origin for languish

C14 languishen, from Old French languiss-, stem of languir, ultimately from Latin languēre
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