Meanings
present singular third person languishes · participle present languishing · participle past languished · past languished
- intransitiveTo pine away in longing for something; to have low spirits, especially from lovesickness.First known use 14th c.
He languished without his girlfriend.
- intransitiveTo live in miserable or disheartening conditions.First known use 15th c.
He languished in prison for years.
1 more example
An elderly Hungarian found languishing in a Russian mental hospital could finally be allowed to return home - 55 years after being taken prisoner by the Russian Army.
2000 August 2, “Hungarian POW to go home after 55 years”, in BBC NewsSynonyms: rot
- intransitiveTo be neglected; to make little progress, be unsuccessful.First known use 17th c.
The case languished for years before coming to trial.
- archaicintransitiveTo affect a languid air, especially disingenuously.First known use 18th c.
His bowstring slackened, languid Love, / Leaning his cheek upon his hand, / Droops both his wings, regarding thee, / And so would languish evermore, / Serene, imperial Eleänore.
a. 1833, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Eleänore”, in Poems, page 311 more example
He is an excellent young man, and will suit Harriet exactly: it will be an "exactly so," as he says himself; but he does sigh and languish, and study for compliments rather more than I could endure as a principal.
1815, Jane Austen, Emma
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo live in miserable or disheartening conditions.
More synonyms by meaning
verbhave a desire for something or someone who is not present
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinlanguēre“to be faint, unwell”
- Late Latinlanguīre
- Middle Frenchlanguir
- Middle Englishlanguysshen
- Englishlanguish
From Middle English languysshen, from the present participle stem of Anglo-Norman and Middle French languir, from Late Latin languīre, alteration of Latin languēre (“to be faint, unwell”). : Compare languor, languid and lax. : Cognate with slack.
More words from Middle English, Middle French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic فَتَرَ, ضَعُفَ
- فَتَرَ (fatara)to lose strength and become weak
- ضَعُفَ (ḍaʕufa)to lose strength and become weak
- قَبَعَ (qabaʕa)to live in miserable conditions
- أُهْمِلَ (ʔuhmila)to be neglected, to make little progress
Bulgarian отслабвам, отмалявам
- отслабвам (otslabvam)to lose strength and become weak
- отмалявам (otmaljavam)to lose strength and become weak
- чезна (čezna)to pine away with longing
Catalan decaure, llanguir
- decaureto lose strength and become weak
- llanguirto pine away with longing
Chinese Mandarin 憔悴
- 憔悴 (qiáocuì)to lose strength and become weak
Czech zeslábnout, živořit
- zeslábnoutto lose strength and become weak
- živořitto live in miserable conditions
Danish trættes
- trættesto lose strength and become weak
Dutch verzwakken, verslappen
- verzwakkento lose strength and become weak
- verslappento lose strength and become weak
- smachtento pine away with longing
- verlangento pine away with longing
- kwijnento live in miserable conditions
- wegkwijnento live in miserable conditions
- stagnerento be neglected, to make little progress
Esperanto velki
- velkito pine away with longing
Finnish riutua, nääntyä
- riutuato lose strength and become weak
- nääntyäto lose strength and become weak
- riutuato pine away with longing
- räytyäto pine away with longing
- kituato live in miserable conditions
- riutuato live in miserable conditions
- viruato live in miserable conditions
- roikkuato be neglected, to make little progress
French dépérir, se cachectiser
- dépérirto lose strength and become weak
- se cachectiserto lose strength and become weak
- se rabougrirto lose strength and become weak
- devenir étiqueto lose strength and become weak
- languirto pine away with longing
- se mourirto pine away with longing
- traîner une misérable éxistenceto live in miserable conditions
- vivoterto live in miserable conditions
- péricliterto be neglected, to make little progress
- déclinerto be neglected, to make little progress
- stagnerto be neglected, to make little progress
- piétinerto be neglected, to make little progress
German ermatten, erschlaffen
- ermattento lose strength and become weak
- erschlaffento lose strength and become weak
- siechento lose strength and become weak
- schmachtento pine away with longing
- sehnento pine away with longing
- sich verzehrento pine away with longing
- dahinsiechento live in miserable conditions
- schmachtento live in miserable conditions
Greek μαραζώνω
- μαραζώνω (marazóno)to pine away with longing
Hungarian gyengül, lankad
- gyengülto lose strength and become weak
- lankadto lose strength and become weak
- bágyadto lose strength and become weak
- ernyedto lose strength and become weak
- pilledto lose strength and become weak
- erőtlenedikto lose strength and become weak
- epedto pine away with longing
- epekedikto pine away with longing
- sóvárogto pine away with longing
- senyvedto live in miserable conditions
- sínylődikto live in miserable conditions
- tespedto be neglected, to make little progress
Italian intristire, languire
- intristireto lose strength and become weak
- languireto lose strength and become weak
- vivachiareto live in miserable conditions
- stagnareto be neglected, to make little progress
- segnare il passoto be neglected, to make little progress
Japanese 元気がなくなる, 惨めに暮らす
- 元気がなくなる (genki ga nakunaru)to lose strength and become weak
- 惨めに暮らす (mijime ni kurasu)to live in miserable conditions
Latin marcesco
- marcescoto lose strength and become weak
Māori tārure, hiangongo
- tārureto lose strength and become weak
- hiangongoto pine away with longing
Persian رنجور شدن, بیحال شدن
- رنجور شدن (ranjur šodan)to lose strength and become weak
- بیحال شدن (bi-hâl šodan)to pine away with longing
- در حسرت سوختن (dar hasrat suxtan)to pine away with longing
- ذله شدن (zelle šodan)to live in miserable conditions
- سرد شدن (sard šodan)to be neglected, to make little progress
- مغفول ماندن (maġful mândan)to be neglected, to make little progress
Polish marnieć, tęsknić
- marniećto lose strength and become weak
- tęsknićto pine away with longing
- dogorywaćto live in miserable conditions
- pokutowaćto live in miserable conditions
- wlec sięto be neglected, to make little progress
Portuguese definhar
- definharto lose strength and become weak
Russian ча́хнуть, увяда́ть
- ча́хнуть (čáxnutʹ)to lose strength and become weak
- увяда́ть (uvjadátʹ)to lose strength and become weak
- слабе́ть (slabétʹ)to lose strength and become weak
- тоскова́ть (toskovátʹ)to pine away with longing
- изныва́ть (iznyvátʹ)to pine away with longing
- томи́ться (tomítʹsja)to live in miserable conditions
- прозяба́ть (prozjabátʹ)to live in miserable conditions
- влачи́ть жа́лкое существова́ние (vlačítʹ žálkoje suščestvovánije)to live in miserable conditions
- тяну́ться (tjanútʹsja)to be neglected, to make little progress
Spanish atrofiar, marchitar
- atrofiarto lose strength and become weak
- marchitarto lose strength and become weak
- decaerto lose strength and become weak
- languidecerto pine away with longing
- sufrirto live in miserable conditions
- desperecerto live in miserable conditions
- ir tirandoto live in miserable conditions
- malvivirto live in miserable conditions
- periclitarto be neglected, to make little progress
- debilitarseto be neglected, to make little progress
- estancarseto be neglected, to make little progress
- atascarseto be neglected, to make little progress
Swedish försmäkta, tyna bort
- försmäktato lose strength and become weak
- tyna bortto lose strength and become weak
Turkish gevşemek, durgunlaşmak
- gevşemekto lose strength and become weak
- durgunlaşmakto pine away with longing
- sürünmekto live in miserable conditions
Ukrainian скні́ти, скні́ти
- скні́ти (skníty)to lose strength and become weak
- скні́ти (skníty)to live in miserable conditions
- скні́ти (skníty)to be neglected, to make little progress
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with languish
All rhymes →Cite this entry
languish. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/languish
“languish.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/languish. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “languish,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/languish.
Source: languish on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.