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
  1. gaunt
  2. shriveled
  3. skeletal
  4. withered
  5. haggard
  6. dried
Adjective
  • The group last played a public show on July 18 in Valdosta, Georgia, following an uneven few months where Love appeared gaunt and sang in a raspy, diminished voice.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Apple was widely criticized in the late 2000s for not volunteering more information about Jobs’ health, especially as concerns about his gaunt appearance battered the company’s shares.
    — Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of gaunt
Verb
  • As sprouting progresses, the sweet potato may become softer, shriveled, or less flavorful.
    — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 4 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of shriveled
Adjective
  • Walk past a guard wolf to see a potion brewing, a spidery scenario in the yard, gothic graves, a skeletal spot in one corner and plenty of gore on the porch.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Only shattered glass and the skeletal frame of the Haussmannian roof remain of Limoges’ 19th century town hall.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of skeletal
Verb
  • The legislation would also limit the length of licensing terms, reviving secondary markets that have largely withered away.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Those production lines were shut down after the Soviet breakup in 1991, and the industry has since mostly withered.
    — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of withered
Adjective
  • The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Xbox, despite its increasingly haggard reputation, has announced backwards compatibility for PC.
    — Mitch Wallace, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of haggard
Verb
  • The language, the words, the people, the sentiment erased, the websites vanished, the funds dried, and the true spirit of self-interest revealed.
    — Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This is a cold washed process bean, meaning the cherry pulp is washed away from the bean before it’s put in cold storage for 72 hours and then dried.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of dried

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Cite this Entry

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

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