variants
or shrivelling
as in wilting
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variants
or shrivelling
as in evaporating
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 shriveling
Tom Yulsman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Wrinkling, shriveling, spines falling off, discoloration, and drooping are all signs of underwatering.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2026
And with the shriveling of Kate Spade (and excluding Stuart Weitzman, which Tapestry recently unloaded), Coach represents nearly 80% of Tapestry sales.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
The Great Salt Lake has been shriveling up for decades.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Winter The goal in winter is to water cacti just enough to prevent them from shriveling and wrinkling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2026
Concern is also growing over how salaries have lagged behind inflation, shriveling in value and squeezing household budgets.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The industry has been shriveling for years.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2025
Weather extremes are shrivelling harvests on India's tea plantations, endangering the future of an industry famed for beverages as refreshing as Assam and Darjeeling, while reshaping a global trade estimated at more than $10 billion a year.
—Tora Agarwala, Reuters, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
Unsettling events like these are taking place in the context of climate warming that’s occurring at nearly four times the rate of the global average, and resulting long-term shriveling of the Arctic’s floating lid of sea ice.
—Tom Yulsman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Wrinkling, shriveling, spines falling off, discoloration, and drooping are all signs of underwatering.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2026
And with the shriveling of Kate Spade (and excluding Stuart Weitzman, which Tapestry recently unloaded), Coach represents nearly 80% of Tapestry sales.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
Store limes in your fridge’s crisper drawer, which has a lower humidity level that keeps the skins from shriveling.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
The Great Salt Lake has been shriveling up for decades.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Winter The goal in winter is to water cacti just enough to prevent them from shriveling and wrinkling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2026
Concern is also growing over how salaries have lagged behind inflation, shriveling in value and squeezing household budgets.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
The industry has been shriveling for years.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2025
Weather extremes are shrivelling harvests on India's tea plantations, endangering the future of an industry famed for beverages as refreshing as Assam and Darjeeling, while reshaping a global trade estimated at more than $10 billion a year.
—Tora Agarwala, Reuters, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shriveling
Noun
-
Tomato plants that are overcrowded may have slow or stunted growth, decreased fruit production, signs of disease, and yellowing or wilting leaves.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 June 2026
-
Signs of heat stress include prematurely dropped fruit, wilting, drooping branches, and scorched leaves.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The air that’s pushed down helps your body remove excess heat and aids in evaporating perspiration.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 June 2026
-
This herb spreads as a natural groundcover that acts like living mulch, preventing moisture from evaporating and stopping weeds from taking root.—
Sheryl Geerts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
After three elections and a further withering of Democratic support among blue-collar communities, as well as among black and Latino voters, Schumer appears to remain confident that Trump, embarking on his malign assault on the constitutional order, will ensure future Democratic success.—
Andrew Cockburn,
Harpers Magazine,
16 July 2025
Verb
-
Other actions to reduce risk include avoiding exposure during peak feeding times at dusk and dawn, wearing long sleeves and pants to prevent mosquito bites, and draining standing water in yards and gardens to minimize breeding areas.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Water also was standing or draining so slowly as to seem to be standing at a prep sink and the mop sink.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Dish soap strips away the protective wax and can actually dull or damage the paint over time, leaving it more vulnerable to scratches and fading.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
8 Dec. 2025
-
Each cushion is made from Olefin fabric, which helps prevent color fading in the sun.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Wash the window as usual, but use a hose to rinse the window before drying.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
12 June 2026
-
If photos are covered in muddy water, gently rinsing them in clean water before drying may help prevent permanent damage.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
The waning of a community Well into the 1990s, Miller recalls that the majority of Clarksville residents were African American.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
9 Feb. 2026
-
But Wells points out that in addition to the natural waning of the virus, other public health measures, such as vaccination and isolation, are instrumental in stopping its spread.—
Lauren J. Young,
Scientific American,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The environments where students develop communication skills are collapsing.—
Rachel Konrad,
Time,
9 Dec. 2025
-
The effects of it — the societal collapse, the potential for a planet that becomes inhabitable, the domino effects of countries behaving badly and economies collapsing because of climate change — are very real issues that should be front and center of our conversations right now.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shriveling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shriveling. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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