withered; withering
ˈwit͟h-riŋ,
ˈwi-t͟hə-
1
: to become dry and sapless
especially
: to shrivel from or as if from loss of bodily moisture
2
: to lose vitality, force, or freshness
public support for the bill is withering
1
: to cause to wither
2
: to make speechless or incapable of action : stun
withered him with a look—
Dorothy Sayers
Dorothy SayersExamples of wither in a Sentence
Verb
The plants withered and died.
shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered
Recent Examples on the Web
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 1 May 2025
And sure, delivering a withering comeback would feel satisfying in the moment, but in most situations — especially professional ones — that’s not the move.
—John Bowe, CNBC, 1 May 2025
His tommy-gun dialogue, much of it laced with withering invective and punctuated with profanity, started a shift in the language of both theater and movies in this country.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
Zelensky himself issued a withering response in his nightly address, drawing attention to her failure to name check Russia.
—Andrew Carey and Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
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Verb
Rafael van der Vaart, formerly of Real Madrid, offered perhaps the most withering assessment during a discussion of the incident on Dutch TV channel Ziggo Sports.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 1 May 2025
And sure, delivering a withering comeback would feel satisfying in the moment, but in most situations — especially professional ones — that’s not the move.
—John Bowe, CNBC, 1 May 2025
His tommy-gun dialogue, much of it laced with withering invective and punctuated with profanity, started a shift in the language of both theater and movies in this country.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025
Zelensky himself issued a withering response in his nightly address, drawing attention to her failure to name check Russia.
—Andrew Carey and Victoria Butenko, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Cite this Entry
“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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