1
as in to dry
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness
shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered the old man seemed to wither suddenly upon turning 80
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
if he's left on his own, he'll just wither and die
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wither
Cinematic depictions of criticism are usually withering at best, and pointedly personal at worst.
—
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
During a tough year for local restaurants, at a time when even upscale spots are withering in the cruel Miami summer, George’s stands out as a spot that truly is a community magnet.
—Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
Across the album, Khamari gets introspective regarding withering romances, crises of faith and the frustrating allure of distance.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
Sombr performs with a distinct internal confidence and external charm that has been notably absent in the withering releases from many of his male contemporaries in pop.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
During a tough year for local restaurants, at a time when even upscale spots are withering in the cruel Miami summer, George’s stands out as a spot that truly is a community magnet.
—Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
Across the album, Khamari gets introspective regarding withering romances, crises of faith and the frustrating allure of distance.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 22 Aug. 2025
Sombr performs with a distinct internal confidence and external charm that has been notably absent in the withering releases from many of his male contemporaries in pop.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wither
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wither
Verb
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Perifresh’s non-drying formula nourishes your skin with aloe vera, leaving your skin clean and healthy.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
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Wipe down the rest of the fridge with a commercial or homemade bleach disinfectant, then dry completely with a paper towel.—
Audrey Bruno,
SELF,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After a pause, the composition takes on a searching quality, as the melody travels from one instrument to the next, including a compelling viola solo performed by principal viola Maiya Papach, eventually fading out to nothing, leaving the audience suspended in uneasy quiet.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
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The long-standing expectation was that these resonance signals would fade and become negligible as the momentum transfer increased.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Daffodils These vibrant daffodils are the perfect way to arrange a bouquet for your home that’ll never wilt or die.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
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Many expected Bud to wilt the first time the Mexican legend landed cleanly.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Cracker Barrel was looking to draw new customers, especially younger ones, after years of sagging sales.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
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Policymakers are widely expected to lower their benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point next week to prop up the sagging job market.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Lucky went 1,500 days in the shelter without being adopted, then everything changed.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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Before all that happened, though, there was the eight-course dinner, which went totally fine as predicted.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Likely to have less impact on your buying decision (but still reside in the back of your mind) is that if one of the triple-panel fans fails, the entire triple-fan unit needs replacing, not just one fan.—
Thomas Soderstrom,
PC Magazine,
13 Sep. 2025
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The new glue has impressive properties, including its ability to withstand significant forces before failing.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wither.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wither. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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