What does languish mean?
Languish means to grow weak, fail to thrive, or continue in a state of suffering and difficulty. The word may describe a person who becomes ill or neglected, a community or organization that struggles to survive, or a plant that lacks proper care. It also has a strongly literary sense of yearning: to languish for someone or something is to suffer because of its absence or unattainability. This usage often suggests an intense, prolonged, and somewhat passive emotional state. Although related in appearance to languid, languish is a verb, while languid is an adjective describing weakness or lack of energy. Languish is especially useful in formal writing because it combines physical decline, emotional suffering, and prolonged difficulty in a single evocative word.
verbTo fail to thrive or grow strong, especially through illness, neglect, or difficult conditions. It can also mean to suffer or wait with intense longing, or to remain in a painful or difficult state.
- To become weak, fail to thrive, or deteriorate.
- To suffer from or express intense longing; to pine.
- To remain or continue in a painful, difficult, or neglected state.
"The young heir languished in exile while the kingdom struggled without him."
"Without care or nourishment, the plants languished for weeks."
"She languished for her absent lover, writing letters that were never sent."
Languish began with a literal weakness: its Latin root meant “to grow weak”; its later poetic career made it a synonym for yearning.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How languish is actually used
Languish is chiefly literary or formal. It often conveys prolonged suffering, helplessness, or frustrated longing, as well as physical decline. It can be used for people, organizations, places, plants, and even things that fail to develop.
Easily confused with languish
Languish is a verb describing weakness, deterioration, or yearning, whereas languid is an adjective meaning weak, listless, or lacking energy.
Languish describes the action of suffering, weakening, or pining, while languor is the noun for a state of listlessness, weariness, or intense longing.