1
as in dried
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 faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
if he's left on his own, he'll just wither and die
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shrivelled
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of withered
Daniel Markind, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
But the defense surrendered a touchdown on the first drive and withered at critical junctures.
—Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Drought has withered the palms, and the escalators are still.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
Collectives disputed internally or withered out of inactivity.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Adjective
However, Assad’s army withered away with hardly a shot being fired in anger, or in Assad’s defense.
—Daniel Markind, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
But the defense surrendered a touchdown on the first drive and withered at critical junctures.
—Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Drought has withered the palms, and the escalators are still.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
Collectives disputed internally or withered out of inactivity.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for withered
weakened
Verb
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But the militants, while greatly weakened, have repeatedly regrouped, often after Israeli forces withdraw from areas.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2025
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Those at high-risk for listeria infection are newborns, those who are pregnant, have weakened immune systems, and those aged 65 or older.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Withered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withered. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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