WIZENED Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

wizened 1 of 2

adjective

as in gaunt

dry and wrinkled usually because of old age the old man's wizened face

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wizened

2 of 2

verb

past tense of wizen

as in shriveled

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of wizened

Adjective

Few signs of humanity interrupted the rocky shoreline — just a couple of cabins and the wooden railings of a path leading to a wizened cedar tree revered by the tribe. — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 His wizened next-door neighbors (Mary Woodvine and Adrian Rawlins) are younger, mistaking him for their son Luke, a former crew member of the Rose of Nevada who died by suicide. — Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026 Nobody has ever wanted to watch the singer from Foreigner play baseball against Wally Joyner and a wizened Bobby Brady, and yet MTV leaned on the less-than-spectacular spectacle throughout the ‘90s. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 June 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wizened

Adjective

As her pregnancy progressed, Kabita’s belly swelled while the rest of her remained gaunt.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
On the first day of the hearing, July 22, Salah Sarsour's brother, Mohammad Sarsour, testified that his brother appeared gaunt and dirty and complained of pain and inadequate medical care during his detention in an Israeli jail.

— CBS News, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of gaunt

Verb

Wild pheasants use it all, and after late November they’ll be concentrated in the heavy cover because crop fields are gleaned and frost will have shriveled a lot of vegetation.

— Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
For decades, so much water has been taken that the river seldom meets the sea in Mexico, and its delta, once filled with lush wetlands and forests, has shriveled to stretches of dry riverbed.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026

Definition of shriveled

Adjective

But microscopic skeletal details also revealed a decent percentage of these reptiles didn’t only succumb to the food chain.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 20 Aug. 2026
An investigation is underway following the discovery of human skeletal remains Tuesday in South San Jose, police said.

— Jason Green, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of skeletal

Verb

Fruits—except for rose hips, withered wild grapes and perhaps a few others—are pretty much gone.

— Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Unfortunately, despite the best bipartisan intentions of all concerned over the last 18 months, any initiative for a federal TV and film has withered on the Executive Office and Congressional vine.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of withered

Adjective

Xbox, despite its increasingly haggard reputation, has announced backwards compatibility for PC.

— Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
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

Definition of haggard

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“Wizened.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wizened. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of wizened

adjective

verb

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