1
as in drooped
to be limp from lack of water or vigor
the plants wilted after I forgot to water them for three whole days
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
she had wilted a bit after walking around the hot and humid city
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dried
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness
after six solid hours of painting, his energy was starting to wilt
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Recent Examples of wilted
Under Bednar’s watch, the Avs wilted under the LED lights washing over Bruno Mars Drive and The Strip.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
Mitch Marner, who was supposed to be an ultra-talented player who wilted under the pressure of the playoffs, found another level to his game.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Signs of Underwatering If cucumber plants are underwatered, the leaves will appear wilted and may have crispy, curled margins.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 May 2026
Wilted Plants After Watering If the soil is moist but the plant has wilted or yellowing leaves, the problem is often root rot caused by overwatering and leaving the soil soggy for too long.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
Cook, covered, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.
—Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
If plants look deflated or heavily wilted after a wind lashing, this is a sign of water loss.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
The memorial honoring Hernandez's memory showed signs of recent visitors this week, with fresh flowers mixed in with ones that had wilted long ago.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Rory McIlroy, who built the biggest 36-hole lead in history, wobbled and wilted — one shot in the water, another in the woods — while others surged and made a run at the reigning champion.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
Mitch Marner, who was supposed to be an ultra-talented player who wilted under the pressure of the playoffs, found another level to his game.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Signs of Underwatering If cucumber plants are underwatered, the leaves will appear wilted and may have crispy, curled margins.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 May 2026
Wilted Plants After Watering If the soil is moist but the plant has wilted or yellowing leaves, the problem is often root rot caused by overwatering and leaving the soil soggy for too long.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
Cook, covered, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.
—Maddy Bendgen, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026
If plants look deflated or heavily wilted after a wind lashing, this is a sign of water loss.
—Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
The memorial honoring Hernandez's memory showed signs of recent visitors this week, with fresh flowers mixed in with ones that had wilted long ago.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Rory McIlroy, who built the biggest 36-hole lead in history, wobbled and wilted — one shot in the water, another in the woods — while others surged and made a run at the reigning champion.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wilted
Verb
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The chickens stomp with swift feet like an Irish step dancer, keeping their tails erect and wings drooped.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
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But his mouth was open and drooped peculiarly to one side, and his skin was sucked into his skeleton like a vacuum storage bag.—
Amanda Peet,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Any concerns about his health faded as the game wore on.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
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As public commemoration faded in Hong Kong, overseas communities were carrying the torch to keep memories alive by hosting vigils and rallies in places like London and Canada.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The store offers an extensive botanical shop and with a large assortment of both faux and dried botanicals for DIY arrangements or on-site styling help from an expert.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
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Cows produce more colostrum than their calves need, so the excess is collected, pasteurized, dried and packaged for human consumption.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Given the dramatic manner in which the hulking piers marched down the center of the institution’s narrow corridor, flanked by the photographer’s three-inch-square Polaroids, hung as if in awed supplication, the effect verged on hyperbole, the gnomic ceding to the grandiose.—
James Quandt,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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With one out, Sheehan hung a slider to Arenado, who put the Diamondbacks up with a solo blast.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Remsing, meanwhile, said that commodity-sensitive currencies like the Norwegian krone, Australian dollar and Brazilian real have also trended strongly as the de-dollarization theme petered out and the euro was weakened by the war.—
Hugh Leask,
CNBC,
5 June 2026
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That's because some jurisdictions weakened their public health authorities in response to criticism of lockdowns, school closures, mask mandates, vaccine requirements and other COVID-era restrictions.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Drought has also spread across the nation’s breadbasket, where staple wheat crops that are typically used to make all-purpose flour or pasta have withered for lack of rain.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
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In recent years, however, the vaccine program withered amid cuts in health spending, the Covid pandemic and a botched restructuring of the national medical system.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
Verb
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For the playoffs, Hanifin and Andersson have a 44 percent xG rate, which sagged to 42 percent against Colorado.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
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Stock performance by Salesforce on Thursday, which sagged despite an impressive beat on profits and revenues, is emblematic of the troubles facing software.—
Tobias Burns,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wilted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wilted. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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