languishing

American

[lang-gwi-shing] / ˈlæŋ gwɪ ʃɪŋ /

adjective

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.

See Examples For:

languishing

Recent data showed students were languishing in the system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

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

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

After languishing in development hell under Stanley Kubrick for two decades, the notoriously intense auteur deferred the project to Spielberg, believing he would be the right fit to tell such a complex yet tender story.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 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

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023