languishing

[ lang-gwi-shing ]

/ ˈlæŋ gwɪ ʃɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR languishing ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

becoming languid, in any way.

expressive of languor; indicating tender, sentimental melancholy: a languishing sigh.

lingering: a languishing death.

Nearby words

languedoc-roussillon, languet, languette, languid, languish, languishing, languishment, languor, languorous, languorously, langur

Origin of languishing

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at languish, -ing²

Related formslan·guish·ing·ly, adverbhalf-lan·guish·ing, adjectiveun·lan·guish·ing, adjective

Definition for languishing (2 of 2)

languish

[ lang-gwish ]

/ ˈlæŋ gwɪʃ /

verb (used without object)

to be or become weak or feeble; droop; fade.

to lose vigor and vitality.

to undergo neglect or experience prolonged inactivity; suffer hardship and distress: to languish in prison for ten years.

to be subjected to delay or disregard; be ignored: a petition that languished on the warden's desk for a year.

to pine with desire or longing.

to assume an expression of tender, sentimental melancholy.

noun

the act or state of languishing.

a tender, melancholy look or expression.

Origin of languish

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

Related formslan·guish·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for languishing

To this day, Tavakoli is languishing in prison for nothing more than demanding basic human rights.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Languishing in a prison cell in southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz, 21-year-old Razie Ebrahimi awaits her date with the gallows.
Iran to Hang Abused Child Bride|Nina Strochlic|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A former senior commander who was close to Mullah Omar, Ibrahim had been languishing in Pakistani jails for the past five years.
Freed Taliban Prisoners in Pakistan and Afghanistan Return to Jihad|Ron Moreau & Sami Yousafzai|December 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A year later, when I met him, he was languishing in the bureaucracy of our government.
We Abandoned Them: Kirk Johnson’s Fight to Save Iraqis|John Kael Weston|September 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

A decade ago, Alber Elbaz was a designer out to prove that he had the capacity to revive the languishing house of Lanvin.
Raf’s Ready-to-Wear Debut at Dior|Robin Givhan|September 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He did not seem to her like a man; he reminded her rather of the languishing angels she embroidered.
The Goose Man|Jacob Wassermann
Then the weapon fell from the hand of the odalisk, and the madly-distended eyes and lips resumed their languishing smile.
'Midst the Wild Carpathians|Mr Jkai
Another five minutes found them eating like young wolves around a languishing fire.
America First|Frances Nimmo Greene
The sun was higher, the dew exhaled in warm and languishing perfume, the mocking-bird filled the air with ecstasy.
The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains|Charles Egbert Craddock
Could it be possible that under the sting of rejection he had made his grotesque threat of languishing effacement real?
Selected Stories|Bret Harte

British Dictionary definitions for languishing

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 Formslanguishing, 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

Word Origin and History for languishing

languish

early 14c., "fail in strength, exhibit signs of approaching death," from languiss-, present participle stem of Old French languir "be listless, pine, grieve, fall ill," from Vulgar Latin *languire, from Latin languere "be weak or faint" (see lax). Weaker sense "be lovesick, grieve, lament, grow faint," is from mid-14c. Related: Languished; languishing.

languishing

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of languishing

Definition for languishing (2 of 2)

languish

verb (used without object)

noun

Origin of languish

Examples from the Web for languishing

British Dictionary definitions for languishing

languish

verb (intr)

Word Origin for languish

Word Origin and History for languishing

languish