withered 1 of 2

adjective

as in shriveled

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withered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of wither
1
as in dried
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered the old man seemed to wither suddenly upon turning 80

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor if he's left on his own, he'll just wither and die

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 withered
Adjective
The neural wiring of the obese mouse, on the right, withered. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 These misshapen and withered figurines—a teddy bear with a candle and a turkey in pointed shoes—looked over at the photos from low plinths in one corner of the gallery. — Theo Belci, Artforum, 2 June 2026 Some oak trees retain their brown, withered leaves over winter, which paints a pretty picture when seen against a backdrop of white snow. — Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026 The process leaves behind withered petals and a liquid that cools into a thick wax. — Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 3 May 2026 Either shear the whole plant by a third or selectively cut withered flowers and leggy stems. — Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026 Heaps of last summer’s grassy sedge lay withered around us. — Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026 Soft winds threaten to blow the withered flowers away. — Celina Tebor, CNN Money, 19 Mar. 2026 Dead fruit rotted on withered evergreens, remnants of a record-cold February. — Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
As Florida’s winter dry season stretched into a near rainless wet season, the central Everglades has withered into extreme drought conditions. — Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Fruits—except for rose hips, withered wild grapes and perhaps a few others—are pretty much gone. — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026 Unfortunately, despite the best bipartisan intentions of all concerned over the last 18 months, any initiative for a federal TV and film has withered on the Executive Office and Congressional vine. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026 Squash plants are withered, siphoned to oblivion by squash bugs. — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026 Without the original staffers, though, its X pages have withered with few engagements on most posts. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 24 July 2026 Dreams withered under Ashley, but fun and fantasy were always a very Keegan thing. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 21 July 2026 Research showed that without fans, home-field advantage withered. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 18 July 2026 Russian inflation soared while foreign currency reserves shrank and many inputs for its defense industrial base withered. — Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for withered
  1. shriveled
  2. dried
  3. faded
  4. wizened
  5. weakened
  6. gaunt
  7. sagged
  8. skeletal
Adjective
  • During the final few minutes of cooking, check the corn frequently—even an extra minute or two can make the difference between juicy, tender kernels and dry, shriveled ones.
    — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Papayas that are mostly green are not ripe, while those with many soft spots or darker, shriveled skin are overripe or spoiled.
    — Sherri Gordon, Health, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of shriveled
Verb
  • Fruit from the cacao tree contains beans that, when dried and roasted, produce chocolate in all its glorious forms.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Users usually chew it for an effect similar to amphetamines, or it is dried and boiled to create a stimulant tea.
    — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of dried
Verb
  • Their content together, appearances, red carpet moments, casual clips of them out in Los Angeles, has kept fans invested in their story past the finale, extending the shelf life of a couple that could otherwise have faded once the season ended.
    — Olivia Shalhoup, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The next major episode of persistent trade imbalances was the rare case in which the imbalances faded away without causing major disruption.
    — MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of faded
Adjective
  • Few signs of humanity interrupted the rocky shoreline — just a couple of cabins and the wooden railings of a path leading to a wizened cedar tree revered by the tribe.
    — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • His wizened next-door neighbors (Mary Woodvine and Adrian Rawlins) are younger, mistaking him for their son Luke, a former crew member of the Rose of Nevada who died by suicide.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Definition of wizened
Verb
  • Airstrikes have weakened the regime militarily but strengthened its standing internally.
    — Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
  • That mechanism has weakened substantially since the global financial crisis, and particularly since 2020.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakened
Adjective
  • As her pregnancy progressed, Kabita’s belly swelled while the rest of her remained gaunt.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • On the first day of the hearing, July 22, Salah Sarsour's brother, Mohammad Sarsour, testified that his brother appeared gaunt and dirty and complained of pain and inadequate medical care during his detention in an Israeli jail.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of gaunt
Verb
  • Officers quickly converged to help subdue the teen, with Merks pulling the gun from the backside of his jeans, which had sagged below his mid-thigh.
    — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Flags sagged in the rain and translucent ponchos billowed in the wind, but the sound of bagpipes and a booming sousaphone kept the crowd moving.
    — Lila Hempel-Edgers, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of sagged
Adjective
  • Like trees that produce annual growth rings, corals add skeletal layers of calcium carbonate year after year.
    — Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Who’s flaunting their skeletal frame and who hides a bit behind a couture wall of feathers?
    — Marti Noxon, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of skeletal

Browse Nearby Words

wither
withered
withering
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Cite this Entry

“Withered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withered. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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