Synonym Chooser

How does the noun languor contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of languor are lassitude, lethargy, stupor, and torpor. While all these words mean "physical or mental inertness," languor suggests inertia induced by an enervating climate or illness or love.

languor induced by a tropical vacation

When is it sensible to use lassitude instead of languor?

While the synonyms lassitude and languor are close in meaning, lassitude stresses listlessness or indifference resulting from fatigue or poor health.

a depression marked by lassitude

When can lethargy be used instead of languor?

The meanings of lethargy and languor largely overlap; however, lethargy implies such drowsiness or aversion to activity as is induced by disease, injury, or drugs.

months of lethargy followed my accident

When could stupor be used to replace languor?

The synonyms stupor and languor are sometimes interchangeable, but stupor implies a deadening of the mind and senses by shock, narcotics, or intoxicants.

lapsed into an alcoholic stupor

When might torpor be a better fit than languor?

While in some cases nearly identical to languor, torpor implies a state of suspended animation as of hibernating animals but may suggest merely extreme sluggishness.

a once alert mind now in a torpor

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of languor The French Vietnamese director, Tran Anh Hung, is contemporary cinema’s great poet of languor. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2024 There are two excellent reasons to savor the series, in all of its languor. Judy Berman, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024 The characters emote with the rich, sticky languor of a lava lamp, and none come to life with the force of those in the works to which Catán nods. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 17 Nov. 2023 Everyone was ready to shake off the languor of the hot afternoon and welcome in the shade of night. Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for languor 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for languor
Noun
  • Chuao Mini Gourmet Chocolate Bars Gift Box Give the gift of chocolate while skipping the convenience store boredom.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2025
  • By blending education and entertainment, this approach captivates young minds and turns everyday lessons into memorable experiences that will hopefully banish those sighs of boredom for good.
    Fiona Tapp, Parents, 3 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Sales in international markets rose 0.1%, saddled by weakness in Britain.
    Savyata Mishra, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
  • But Butler’s debut signified the Warriors’ most hopeful moment in months, an introduction of a superstar who seems to blend well into their system, helps solve their biggest weaknesses and accentuates Curry, who has been dying for a co-star for a few seasons.
    Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • The government has also been instrumental in supporting growth in recent months, through a spate of stimulus steps undertaken to revive the lethargy of an economy internally weighed down by lackluster domestic consumption and an extensive real estate slump.
    Anniek Bao,Ruxandra Iordache, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2025
  • On the other hand, pets with salmonella infections may exhibit lethargy or have symptoms such as diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting.
    Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • But what’s catching up to us now is exhaustion and low energy.
    Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
  • For Clark and thousands of other people in her shoes, the waves of exhaustion and optimism are likely to continue for a very long time.
    Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Slim, chiselled Tom wakes from his stupor, newly determined to prove his haters wrong.
    Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Symptoms of severe illness include high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, stupor, tremors, seizures, paralysis, or coma.
    Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • It may be accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, or profound fatigue.
    Lori B Daniels, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Not the kind with sandbags and fatigues, but the kind that come with late-night rewrites, diapers, and a creative industry that treats women over 40 like yesterday’s news.
    SPIN Contributor, SPIN, 11 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • But neither was there the ho-hum, dutiful lassitude that usually accompanies second inaugurations, like Barack Obama’s in 2013.
    James Poniewozik, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025
  • But the opinion, written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., went way further than necessary to insulate Trump from prosecution — not simply before the election, which the court, by its lassitude, had nearly guaranteed, but forever, even in the event that President Biden wins reelection.
    Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
Noun
  • The shadow of death and debility haunted American women throughout the nineteenth century.
    Jenny Noyce, JSTOR Daily, 28 June 2024
  • According to this view, the outside world has been generous to Africa, providing substantial aid in recent decades, leaving no excuse for the continent’s debility.
    Howard W. French, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2015

Thesaurus Entries Near languor

Cite this Entry

“Languor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/languor. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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