1
as in dries
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fades
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for withers
Verb
-
Some people prefer a high-pile cotton that envelops them like a hug post shower, while others like a thinner waffle weave that dries in minutes.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
24 Sep. 2025 -
The plushy Outlast Forever Velvet Pigment continues the tradition but with a comfortable, flexible formula that glides on smooth and dries down matte without drying out your lips.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As anger fades into apathy and grief is aggravated by guilt, the public also chooses silence.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
-
With Ka-young’s help, Iblis is able to destroy the Flower of Eternal Life, which had allowed Khalid to live forever (at least until this point), and the villain fades to dust.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Yuhas said rubbing could trigger keratoconus, an eye condition that weakens the cornea.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
30 Sep. 2025
-
And the thymus gland, the producer of white blood cells, shrinks and weakens over time.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The event will feature local journalists, along with artisans and podcasters, for a night that goes behind the scenes of local news.—
Detroit Free Press staff,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
That goes for maximizing fall color as well as about every other growth/performance metric.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The cream should hold a soft, semi-sturdy peak that gently droops at the tip without collapsing entirely.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
22 Aug. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Withers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withers. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share