variants
or shrivelled
as in withered
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variants
or shrivelled
as in drained
to become small and wrinkly usually as a result of dehydration
Without irrigation, these plants would shrivel (up) and die.
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shriveled
Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
To avoid finding shriveled potatoes in your pantry, start with fresh, firm potatoes.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
New stems can become shriveled and fall off the plant, and whole segments might drop if the plant struggles with depleted soil and a too-small pot.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Dec. 2025
Lighter pieces that look shriveled signals that the ginger root has lost most of its moisture from sitting in storage or on the shelf too long.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 11 Dec. 2025
Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
After the blooms on your moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) have shriveled and fallen off the plant, you're left with a long, bare green stem (technically called a spike).
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
Many plants look shriveled up and dead, but are actually just conserving water and energy during the cold winter months.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 11 Feb. 2026
In earlier work, Rosenblatt’s team watched as some cells dumped their water and shriveled up like raisins before being extruded; indeed, this shrinkage seemed to kick off the process.
—Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
Even if a single berry is moldy, leaky, or shriveled, this could mean the berries are not fresh or juicy at all, says Hall.
—Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 31 Dec. 2025
Her once fearsome Cantonese-speaking maternal grandfather is shrivelled and ailing.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
North America has lost some 3 billion birds — nearly a third of its birdlife — since 1970, in part because places like the Colorado River Delta have shriveled under the strain of human development.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Once one of the planet’s largest saltwater lakes, Urmia has shriveled over the past decades.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
Properly watering succulents keeps them healthy and prevents problems like root rot and shriveled leaves.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
To avoid finding shriveled potatoes in your pantry, start with fresh, firm potatoes.
—Lauren David, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2026
New stems can become shriveled and fall off the plant, and whole segments might drop if the plant struggles with depleted soil and a too-small pot.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Dec. 2025
Lighter pieces that look shriveled signals that the ginger root has lost most of its moisture from sitting in storage or on the shelf too long.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 11 Dec. 2025
Verb
Pour the berries onto a plate or tray, and carefully remove any that are shriveled, moldy, or mushy, along with any stems or leaves.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 25 Feb. 2026
After the blooms on your moth orchid (Phalaenopsis) have shriveled and fallen off the plant, you're left with a long, bare green stem (technically called a spike).
—Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2026
Many plants look shriveled up and dead, but are actually just conserving water and energy during the cold winter months.
—Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 11 Feb. 2026
In earlier work, Rosenblatt’s team watched as some cells dumped their water and shriveled up like raisins before being extruded; indeed, this shrinkage seemed to kick off the process.
—Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 12 Jan. 2026
Even if a single berry is moldy, leaky, or shriveled, this could mean the berries are not fresh or juicy at all, says Hall.
—Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 31 Dec. 2025
Her once fearsome Cantonese-speaking maternal grandfather is shrivelled and ailing.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025
North America has lost some 3 billion birds — nearly a third of its birdlife — since 1970, in part because places like the Colorado River Delta have shriveled under the strain of human development.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Once one of the planet’s largest saltwater lakes, Urmia has shriveled over the past decades.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shriveled
Adjective
-
Dead fruit rotted on withered evergreens, remnants of a record-cold February.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Floridians can see it in the withered tones of roadside vegetation and hear it in the dry crunch of their once-green lawns.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Henry then stole the ball from Hosana Kitenge and drained a pull-up jumper on the other end for a 61-57 lead with 25 seconds left, and the Anteaters managed to close out the win at the free-throw line.—
Dan Arritt,
Oc Register,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Pierre drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to draw the Big Blue within 70-68 with 32 seconds to go.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In front of the butcher’s near where the painter lives, a vendor, wizened and bent, sets up shop.—
Amir Ahmadi Arian,
The Dial,
15 Jan. 2026
-
But more alarming than the ways in which this physical space could turn against us was the simple metaphor of a wizened little man pulling a boat down a river in the dark.—
Ann Patchett,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The flowers look beautiful in fresh or dried arrangements.—
Lynn McAlpine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Wait until the dew is dried or a few days after a heavy rain.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Nitibhon, a Thai supermodel, plays her tycoon as comically drab, keeping her gaunt cheeks slack to emphasize her character’s hollowness.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Regina was standing by the window now, looking even more gaunt under the artificial light of the bulb behind her and the faint glow of the sunrise in front, which barely managed to filter through the balcony awning.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The stock market tumbled — three separate days — because of investors’ both bearish and bullish fears about AI, including Nvidia’s somewhat tepid outlook and a viral blog post that imagined a hypothetical scenario in which white-collar work evaporated.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Trabuco Hills’ 5-0 lead to start the game evaporated quickly.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Republican primary scorched the earth.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Giddey and Tre Jones scorched their path to the basket.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The city agency said the home collapsed during the incident and that the individual was found dead in the structure after crews extinguished the flames.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
But her personal and professional life collapsed amid legal troubles and reports of partying, substance abuse and unreliable behavior.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shriveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shriveled. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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