as in gaunt
dry and wrinkled usually because of old age
the old man's wizened face
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Recent Examples of wizened
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
Expect big feelings and a playful, wizened heart.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
In front of the butcher’s near where the painter lives, a vendor, wizened and bent, sets up shop.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
But more alarming than the ways in which this physical space could turn against us was the simple metaphor of a wizened little man pulling a boat down a river in the dark.
—Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Arsenal also agreed a deal for another teenager, the 16-year-old Shamrock Rovers midfielder Victor Ozhianvuna, a wizened old veteran by comparison.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
After earning the trust of a wizened teacher, Naruto becomes a ninja and works alongside Sasuke Uchiha (Noriaki Sugiyama) and Sakura Haruno (Chie Nakamura) under sensei Kakashi Hatake (Kazuhiko Inoue).
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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
Expect big feelings and a playful, wizened heart.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
In front of the butcher’s near where the painter lives, a vendor, wizened and bent, sets up shop.
—Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 15 Jan. 2026
But more alarming than the ways in which this physical space could turn against us was the simple metaphor of a wizened little man pulling a boat down a river in the dark.
—Ann Patchett, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
Arsenal also agreed a deal for another teenager, the 16-year-old Shamrock Rovers midfielder Victor Ozhianvuna, a wizened old veteran by comparison.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025
After earning the trust of a wizened teacher, Naruto becomes a ninja and works alongside Sasuke Uchiha (Noriaki Sugiyama) and Sakura Haruno (Chie Nakamura) under sensei Kakashi Hatake (Kazuhiko Inoue).
—Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wizened
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
-
Gilbert, now imprisoned at Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York, appeared gaunt and withdrawn during the interview, at times mumbling short responses before abruptly cutting the conversation short.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Next, look for any dead tissue, which may appear brown, dry, or shriveled.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
24 May 2026
-
Berries that are shriveled, soft, or visibly mushy are likely past their prime and won’t be appetizing.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The farmer alerted authorities, who found a shallow grave containing partial skeletal remains.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
But vacant lots abound, filled with weeds and wildflowers and the skeletal frames of homes.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
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
Adjective
-
Rocking back and forth nervously during a television appearance, a haggard-looking Diaz-Canel acknowledged the same talks, which his government had denied were taking place just days before.—
Patrick Oppmann,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Wrexham, meanwhile, was near the bottom, struggling in England’s lowest division under a haggard fan-ownership group keeping it on life support.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Wizened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wizened. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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