desiccating

verb

present participle of desiccate
1
as in undermining
to deprive of emotional or intellectual vitality that historian's dryasdust prose desiccates what is actually an exciting period in European history

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in drying
to make dry add a cup of desiccated coconut to the mix

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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 desiccating Suddenly, pest populations are large enough to make a meaningful impact, and one too many afternoons of 100+ degree weather have begun desiccating leaves. — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026 Improving safety in the field Key innovations for the new tissue include the ability to hold water at room temperature for months on end without desiccating or needing refridgeration. — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 2026 By desiccating vegetation, the drought has already fueled severe wildfires, with 116,000 hectares burned in Spain and 42,000 hectares burned in France, according to the WWA report. — Sanidhya Sharma, Scientific American, 24 July 2026 Another advantage of long and narrow leaves is their ability to withstand heavy rainfall and battering or desiccating winds. — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desiccating
  1. undermining
  2. drying
  3. draining
  4. weakening
  5. exhausting
  6. dehydrating
  7. enervating
  8. deadening
Verb
  • Major European and other confederations accuse Infantino of deception, undermining integrity.
    — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • But the coal terminal would take us in the wrong direction, undermining decades of advocacy and millions of dollars of state investment.
    — Veronica Eady, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • The Slovenian is not the only relic that has emerged from Europe's drying rivers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Natural gas is deeply embedded upstream in textile manufacturing, supplying captive electricity generation as well as the boilers and steam required for processes including dyeing, washing, drying and finishing.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of drying
Verb
  • To deodorize and tackle slow-draining sinks, sprinkle a bit of baking soda down the drain before pouring a generous amount of apple cider vinegar.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Aug. 2026
  • For best results, focus on giving your ficus well-draining soil and plenty of bright, partial light.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Sansoni’s study suggests that years of scrolling on Instagram can weaken our ability to rely on these inner signals, essentially weakening our brain’s ability to accurately perceive its own face and body.
    — Nicole Karlis, Allure, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The danger Pelath is concerned about is when the river banks are saturated, some root systems let go, sending more trees into the river and weakening the banks.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The ruling involves 16 men's basketball players who sued the NCAA in Cobb County Superior Court in July after exhausting four seasons of college eligibility.
    — Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Countless veterans whom Perry had gotten to know had experienced similarly stark recoveries after exhausting conventional treatments for brain injuries and trauma, and turning to ibogaine.
    — Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhausting
Verb
  • Guidance from Michigan State University recommends pretreating fruit by soaking it in a mixture of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and cold water, and steam blanching vegetables before dehydrating them.
    — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Diatomaceous earth is a natural, chemical-free way to control crawling pests by dehydrating them.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of dehydrating
Verb
  • Campbell, the North Carolina folk singer, describes an enervating process marked by back-and-forth exchanges and lots of waiting.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Jenny deflected me with enervating ease.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Definition of enervating
Verb
  • Each presents a group portrait of a handful of disaffected British suburbanites—husbands who resent their deadening jobs, toddlers who whine and interrupt, and, above all, hassled wives subsumed by a crush of household obligations.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Sam Lambert laid down a safety squeeze, deadening the ball in front of the plate and scoring Balls to trim the lead to 3-1.
    — Dave Montrose, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026
Definition of deadening

Browse Nearby Words

desiccates
desiccating
desiderata
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Cite this Entry

“Desiccating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desiccating. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on desiccating

Nglish: Translation of desiccating for Spanish Speakers

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