Languor
noun /ˈlæŋ.ɡər/ — A pleasant, dreamy weariness; luxurious lassitude
Definition
A pleasant physical or mental weariness — a slow, dreamy heaviness that is more delicious than distressing. The feeling of afternoons in summer heat, of convalescence, of time that has agreed to move slowly.
Beyond the definition
Tiredness that doesn't want to be cured. Languor is different from fatigue — it is weariness that has settled into itself, that asks nothing of you and expects nothing back. It is the condition of slow afternoons.
Origin & history
From Latin 'languor' (faintness, weariness, dullness) — from 'languere' (to be faint, weary). Related to 'languid' and 'languish'. But unlike languishing (which implies suffering), languor is weariness at rest.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The heat produced a languor that made the afternoon feel suspended — as though time had stopped and nobody minded.
There is a post-lunch languor that the Italians name and protect: the hour when nothing should be expected of anyone.
She wrote best in the early morning before the languor of the day had set in — before the world had asked anything of her.
Synonyms
lassitude, listlessness, torpor, drowsiness, lethargy
Antonyms
vigour, energy, alertness
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
After-Meal Thoughtful Posture
An adult sits at a table with dinner remnants remaining, lost in thought as they watch a candle flame flicker in the dimming light.
The person's unhurried, comfortable posture, paired with the settling of the evening, captures the essence of languor. It is a slow, dreamy heaviness that is physically and mentally pleasant, emphasizing the sweetness of time slowing down during a period of peaceful, reflective, and necessary rest.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration