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
-
When supermodels ruled the runway, low-rise pants hugged our hips, everyone smoked cigarettes, grunge was a music genre and an aesthetic, and looking scrawny and gaunt was considered attractive.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In late-stage chronic wasting disease, deer often appear emaciated and gaunt, Labonte said.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Berries that are shriveled, soft, or visibly mushy are likely past their prime and won’t be appetizing.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Water ornamental purslane when the soil has dried out or the leaves look shriveled.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Bone Museum in Brooklyn presents skeletal insights using actual skeletons, including showing how corsets severely compress bones, and an examination of the anatomy of conjoined twins.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Researchers have unearthed skeletal remains of Nagatitan, a member of the dinosaur lineage called sauropods known for having a long neck, long tail, small head and four columnar legs.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
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
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
-
Ana dried her hands on a dishtowel.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
When the leaves are young, they can be picked and dried to make white tea.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wizened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wizened. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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