languishing

A potted plant is languishing on the windowsill.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Failing in health or vitality: "languishing" describes a state of becoming weak, feeble, or declining in strength, often from illness, neglect, or lack of care.
   • Waning or fading: It can refer to something that is slowly diminishing or losing its intensity, such as interest, love, or enthusiasm.
   • Languid or listless: It can describe a person or thing that appears drooping, sluggish, or lacking energy, often with a sentimental or dreamy quality (e.g., "a languishing look").

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The languishing plant needed water and sunlight to revive. (The plant was weak and declining from neglect.)
  • Their languishing romance finally ended after years of distance. (Their love was fading slowly.)
  • She gave him a languishing glance from across the room. (A dreamy, listless look, often implying longing or sadness.)

Advanced Usage

• "Languishing in prison": to be confined and suffering in a state of decline.

  • The innocent man languished in prison for a decade. (He was kept there, growing weaker and more hopeless.)

• "Languishing economy": an economy that is stagnant or declining slowly.

  • The region's languishing economy led to widespread unemployment. (The economy was failing to grow.)

Variants and Related Words

• Languish (verb): to become weak or feeble; to lose strength or vitality.

  • He continued to languish in his illness. (He remained weak and declining.)

• Languor (noun): a state of physical or mental weariness; lack of energy.

  • The afternoon heat filled her with languor. (A heavy, lazy tiredness.)

• Languid (adjective): displaying a lack of energy or enthusiasm; slow and relaxed.

  • She moved with a languid grace. (Slow, graceful, but without energy.)

Synonyms

• Declining: decreasing in strength or quality.
• Fading: losing brightness or intensity.
• Drooping: bending or hanging down from weakness.
• Listless: lacking energy or enthusiasm.

Related Idioms

• To languish in obscurity: to remain unknown or unappreciated for a long time.

  • After his debut, the artist languished in obscurity for years. (He remained unnoticed and unproductive.)

• To languish in poverty: to suffer a long period of extreme poverty.

  • The family languished in poverty after the factory closed. (They lived in a prolonged state of deprivation.)