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
Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Employment doldrums have affected even the state’s hallmark sectors, most obviously Southern California’s withering film and TV production industry and the Bay Area’s high technology concentration.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
For much of those eight years, Powell endured withering public criticism from the president, who named him as chair.
—Steve Liesman, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
The sycamore’s tendency to flourish in places where plenty of other trees would wither and die might have been the reason that John Clayton, a nineteenth-century landowner, planted one in a gap along Hadrian’s Wall.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
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Verb
Russian-Cuban ties withered after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, plunging Cuba into a grueling depression.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Employment doldrums have affected even the state’s hallmark sectors, most obviously Southern California’s withering film and TV production industry and the Bay Area’s high technology concentration.
—Dan Walters, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
For much of those eight years, Powell endured withering public criticism from the president, who named him as chair.
—Steve Liesman, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
The sycamore’s tendency to flourish in places where plenty of other trees would wither and die might have been the reason that John Clayton, a nineteenth-century landowner, planted one in a gap along Hadrian’s Wall.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 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 10 Jan. 2026.
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