DESICCATION Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

desiccate

verb

ˈde-si-ˌkāt

Definition of desiccate

as in to undermine

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

as in to dry

to make dry add a cup of desiccated coconut to the mix

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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 desiccate 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 Olive trees, desiccated from the Xylella fastidiosa bacterial epidemic, are consumed by fire and slump to the ground in a burnished black heap. — Angelica Calabrese, Longreads, 7 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 First, the wood pieces are desiccated at a relatively low temperature — just above the boiling temperature of water — then squeezed into slabs. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for desiccate

Recent Examples of Synonyms for desiccate

Verb

But supporters also warned that a Congress increasingly dominated by the far right and the agribusiness caucus could undermine those efforts to protect the forest and combat climate change.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
The senator challenged Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin’s decision to extend voting by two hours, arguing that the uneven application of the measure had undermined equal voting conditions.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of undermine

Verb

For about five days, the murres rotate between the drying pens — which blow warm air on the birds — and 80-degree pools of water inside the clinic.

— Stephanie Zappelli, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Tyrese Haliburton needed the towel draped around his neck to dry the tears streaming down his cheeks.

— Peter Finney Jr, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of dry

Verb

Conditions were expected to improve Saturday afternoon as winds weakened, with fair and dry weather forecast for the remainder of the weekend.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
As trust in America weakens further, other wealthy nations will make the same calculation.

— Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

Allen drained it to extend Charlotte’s lead to 20, and then found Dennis Schröder for a high-five as Miami called a timeout.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
In hopes of restoring the water's blue hue, park rangers partially drained Morning Glory in the 1970s to extract debris.

— Sadie Chafe, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of drain

Verb

The characters are petrified like specimens, expressing and embodying only what fits into the film’s design, with no potential for inconvenient loose ends for viewers to follow outside the frame’s borders.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2026
Here, a source of primordial terror—the gaze that petrifies—is deflected by way of the highly polished shield that Perseus wields against the creature.

— Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of petrify

Verb

When all out-of-court options have been exhausted, and the MCA debt threatens the immediate survival of an otherwise viable business, legal reorganization is the final angle of management.

— Nathan Mor, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Like athletes in other pro leagues, NFL players must first exhaust out-of-court arbitration and grievance procedures.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

The first two days are likely to feature weather interruptions and damp conditions suited to bowlers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Suspension is taken care of by 43-mm upside-down forks with adjustable rebound and compression damping, and an adjustable central spring strut at the rear.

— Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of damp

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desexing

desiccate

desiccated

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“Desiccate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desiccate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of desiccate

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