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
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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
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2026
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
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
And then emergency snacks for my kid, often shriveled up raisins all over the bottom of the bag.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 23 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shriveled
Adjective
-
Soft winds threaten to blow the withered flowers away.—
Celina Tebor,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Dead fruit rotted on withered evergreens, remnants of a record-cold February.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Houston drained seven threes in that decisive fourth-quarter run; a couple of them were tightly defended but Rockets shooters had too much airspace on others.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Maryland pulled within three in the final two minutes, but Nyla Brooks drained a 3-pointer from in front of the North Carolina bench.—
Bob Sutton,
Chicago Tribune,
22 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 color is rich and dark, as is the flavor with notes of ripe and dried fruit, dark chocolate, roasted espresso beans, raisin, fig, cherry cola, peaches, menthol, and blood orange.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Glossing 5-Min Lamination Mask This mask became an instant winter-hair hero for me, helping to revive my dried-out, dull lengths with each use.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Lie’s Evans is gaunt and distant, a shy man hidden behind a veil of cigarette smoke, unable to process — or even express — his grief.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The excitement of Ramadan and Eid have all but evaporated for Ali.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
-
And many hoped that the observation of faster-than-light neutrinos would portend a revolution in physics, but those hopes evaporated with the discovery of a loose cable at the OPERA experiment.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The record-setting temperature was recorded just outside Martinez Lake, Arizona, in the Yuma Desert, as a winter heat wave scorched the Southwest, according to the National Weather Service.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Wildfires have prompted evacuations and scorched more than 500,000 acres (202,340 hectares).—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Albanese said the context in which the agreement was reached was an important factor in allowing negotiations that collapsed in October 2023 to restart.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Denver firefighters searched through a parking garage that partially collapsed on Monday afternoon.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shriveled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shriveled. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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