as in shriveled
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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
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2
as in faded
to lose bodily strength or vigor
if he's left on his own, he'll just wither and die
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Recent Examples of withered
Theo Belci, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Some oak trees retain their brown, withered leaves over winter, which paints a pretty picture when seen against a backdrop of white snow.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026
The process leaves behind withered petals and a liquid that cools into a thick wax.
—Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Either shear the whole plant by a third or selectively cut withered flowers and leggy stems.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026
Heaps of last summer’s grassy sedge lay withered around us.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
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, 23 Feb. 2026
Floridians can see it in the withered tones of roadside vegetation and hear it in the dry crunch of their once-green lawns.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
As a skin care ingredient, hyaluronic acid floods withered, thirsty skin with moisture, thereby smoothing the appearance of fine lines.
—Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 10 June 2026
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
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
The ask withered under criticism from legislative leaders in both parties.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Decades of relations built through OPEC and other organizations withered under fire, while Western and Israeli ties deepened through the Abraham Accords and shared security threats from Iran.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Its power has withered amid years without peace negotiations and Israel tightening its grip on the occupied West Bank.
—Sam Metz, Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2026
The Palestinian Authority, however, has not held a presidential election in 21 years, and support for it and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has withered during years of corruption and frustration over the sometimes violent advances of Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
These misshapen and withered figurines—a teddy bear with a candle and a turkey in pointed shoes—looked over at the photos from low plinths in one corner of the gallery.
—Theo Belci, Artforum, 2 June 2026
Some oak trees retain their brown, withered leaves over winter, which paints a pretty picture when seen against a backdrop of white snow.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026
The process leaves behind withered petals and a liquid that cools into a thick wax.
—Cecilia Vega, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Either shear the whole plant by a third or selectively cut withered flowers and leggy stems.
—Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 14 Apr. 2026
Heaps of last summer’s grassy sedge lay withered around us.
—Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
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, 23 Feb. 2026
Floridians can see it in the withered tones of roadside vegetation and hear it in the dry crunch of their once-green lawns.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
Verb
White evangelical churches—revivalists, under Sutton’s classification system—experienced remarkable growth, while liberal mainline Protestant churches withered.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
As a skin care ingredient, hyaluronic acid floods withered, thirsty skin with moisture, thereby smoothing the appearance of fine lines.
—Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 10 June 2026
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
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
The ask withered under criticism from legislative leaders in both parties.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 14 May 2026
Decades of relations built through OPEC and other organizations withered under fire, while Western and Israeli ties deepened through the Abraham Accords and shared security threats from Iran.
—Judah Taub, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Its power has withered amid years without peace negotiations and Israel tightening its grip on the occupied West Bank.
—Sam Metz, Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2026
The Palestinian Authority, however, has not held a presidential election in 21 years, and support for it and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has withered during years of corruption and frustration over the sometimes violent advances of Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
—ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for withered
Adjective
-
Frying and roasting also eliminate the water from foods and this is why our roast beef shrinks in the oven—changing from a succulent hunk to a shriveled disappointment after roasting for too long.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 June 2026
-
Also stay away from shriveled potatoes or any that have dark spots.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Across a 90-foot wall at the Orlando Museum of Art, Tommerup assembled three monumental pyramids built from canvases dragged through the ocean and Biscayne Bay, dried in flowering trees and tossed from rooftops at dusk, surrendering part of the creative process to nature itself.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
Many everyday items like sneakers, hats, backpacks, and yoga mats can be safely machine washed and air dried.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
The steady stream of celebrity appearances largely faded after Hollywood Casino was sold to the now-PENN Entertainment in 2003, as did the excitement around the casino.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
-
As those temporary surpluses faded, homelessness spending fell sharply.—
Benjamin F. Henwood,
The Conversation,
10 June 2026
Adjective
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While the beautiful people always display youth (even if it’s paid for), the always original Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio was unrecognizable, doubling his actual age of 32 with wizened grey hair, beard and bushy eyebrows, prosthetic wrinkles and a cane.—
Merle Ginsberg,
HollywoodReporter,
5 May 2026
-
Yoda Don’t underestimate the wizened little green guy putzing around with a laser sword.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Since the start of the Iran war, the Indian currency has weakened against the dollar, partly due to the country's rising energy import bill.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
11 June 2026
-
Since taking office in October 2024, President Prabowo Subianto has weakened the institutional guardrails that once constrained fiscal expansion and protected central‑bank independence.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Brig is in the Upper Valais, a gaunt and conservative place where the inhabitants speak Walliser German, an Alpine dialect that many Swiss people find unintelligible.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Some of our most visible celebrities have gone from merely thin to gravely gaunt.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Weiss had initially sought to reinvent the CBS Evening News, dropping a two-anchor format that had sagged in the ratings.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
3 June 2026
-
In this second presidency, his main work has been spectacular self-enrichment, even as the economy has sagged under the weight of his catastrophic trade wars.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
From the skeletal evidence, scientists with the lab constructed a DNA profile for the victim to develop new investigative leads for law enforcement, Othram said in a news release.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
About two years later, in July 2000, a researcher discovered human skeletal remains in a remote part of Olympic National Park, along the Sol Duc River, the National Park Service said.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Withered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withered. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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