languid

/ˈlæŋɡwɪd/

//ˈlæŋɡwɪd// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"languid" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“languid” is uncommon English (frequency #50,638 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,638
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a person or animal, or their body functions: flagging from weakness, or inactive or weak, especially due to illness or tiredness; faint, listless.

Key facts for languid
PropertyValue
Headwordlanguid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlæŋɡwɪd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,638
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “languid” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). languid lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

languid is uncommon English at frequency #50,638 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈlæŋɡwɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for languid in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French languide (“fatigued, weak; apathetic, indifferent”) (modern French languide), or from its etymon Latin languidus (“faint, weak; dull; slow, sluggish; ill, sick, unwell; (figuratively) inactive, inert, listless”), from langueō (“t… The correct English form is languid, spelled L-A-N-G-U-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a person or animal, or their body functions: flagging from weakness, or inactive or weak, especially due to illness or tiredness; faint, listless.
  2. 2
    Of a person or their movement: showing a dislike for physical effort; leisurely, unhurried.
  3. 3
    Of a person or their actions, character, etc.: lacking drive, emotion, or enthusiasm; apathetic, listless, spiritless, unenthusiastic.
  4. 4
    Of a colour: not bright; dull, muted.
  5. 5
    Of an idea, writing, etc.: dull, uninteresting.
  6. 6
    Of a period of time: characterized by lack of activity; pleasant and relaxed; unstressful.
  7. 7
    Of a thing: lacking energy, liveliness, or strength; inactive, slow-moving, weak.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French languide (“fatigued, weak; apathetic, indifferent”) (modern French languide), or from its etymon Latin languidus (“faint, weak; dull; slow, sluggish; ill, sick, unwell; (figuratively) inactive, inert, listless”), from langueō (“to be faint or weak; (figuratively) to be idle, inactive, or listless”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leg-, *(s)leh₁g- (“to weaken”)) + -idus (suffix meaning ‘tending to’ forming adjectives). Doublet of languish. Cognates * Italian languido (“languid; languishing”) * Portuguese lânguido (“languid; listless”) * Spanish lánguido (“languid, weak”)

Antonyms

energeticvigorous

This word in other languages

lánguido(Español)languide(Français)träge(Deutsch)lânguido(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "languid"?
"languid" is spelled L-A-N-G-U-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæŋɡwɪd/.
What does "languid" mean?
As an adjective, "languid" means: Of a person or animal, or their body functions: flagging from weakness, or inactive or weak, especially due to illness or tiredness; faint, listless.
How do you pronounce "languid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "languid" is /ˈlæŋɡwɪd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "languid"?
Borrowed from Middle French languide (“fatigued, weak; apathetic, indifferent”) (modern French languide), or from its etymon Latin languidus (“faint, weak; dull; slow, sluggish; ill, sick, unwell; (figuratively) inactive, inert, listless”), from l... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “languid”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-A-N-G-U-I-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈlæŋɡwɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list