- present participle of languish.
languishing
Americanadjective
-
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.
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
While downtown Los Angeles is languishing, Burbank is booming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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
Nunes resigned in April after White House advisers told Trump his company was languishing, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Reports reached us that these Polish Jews were languishing on the border in a squalid no-man's-land of temporary camps.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
Definitions 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.
