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 L. Sayers
Dorothy L. 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
ABC News, 6 June 2026
Months of withering brutal weather gave way to soccer abandon on the turf, as two of Ottawa’s best junior teams clashed in the sunlight.
—Paula Newton, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Bass faced withering criticism over the course of the campaign, with her rivals blasting her leadership on homelessness, housing production and the January 2025 Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
And Vrabel, under withering criticism for his relationship with NFL insider Dianna Russini for going on two months now, gets a welcome change to the conversation.
—Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for wither
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Verb
The Chanel suits, dark glasses, nasal voice and withering judgments became part of the national image.
—ABC News, 6 June 2026
Months of withering brutal weather gave way to soccer abandon on the turf, as two of Ottawa’s best junior teams clashed in the sunlight.
—Paula Newton, CNN Money, 6 June 2026
Bass faced withering criticism over the course of the campaign, with her rivals blasting her leadership on homelessness, housing production and the January 2025 Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and left 12 people dead.
—David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
And Vrabel, under withering criticism for his relationship with NFL insider Dianna Russini for going on two months now, gets a welcome change to the conversation.
—Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for wither
Cite this Entry
“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wither. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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