1
as in dried
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in faded
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
as in shrivelled
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of withered
Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
In the United States, the middle layer of agriculture — small to mid-sized processors, tanneries, and aggregators — has withered under decades of globalization.
—Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Although Dodik has threatened to defy the ruling, Mujanović said much of his support base in the entity has withered away.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
But over time, lovers vanished, friendships withered, and purpose drained away.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
However, Assad’s army withered away with hardly a shot being fired in anger, or in Assad’s defense.
—Daniel Markind, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
But the defense surrendered a touchdown on the first drive and withered at critical junctures.
—Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Drought has withered the palms, and the escalators are still.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
Collectives disputed internally or withered out of inactivity.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
Given America’s withered afloat support capabilities, shepherding fleets of small craft around Cape Horn is an almost insurmountable logistical challenge.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Many of the plants have bolted or gone to seed or withered in the heat.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
In the United States, the middle layer of agriculture — small to mid-sized processors, tanneries, and aggregators — has withered under decades of globalization.
—Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Although Dodik has threatened to defy the ruling, Mujanović said much of his support base in the entity has withered away.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
But over time, lovers vanished, friendships withered, and purpose drained away.
—Shai Tubali, Big Think, 5 Aug. 2025
However, Assad’s army withered away with hardly a shot being fired in anger, or in Assad’s defense.
—Daniel Markind, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
But the defense surrendered a touchdown on the first drive and withered at critical junctures.
—Jesse Temple, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Drought has withered the palms, and the escalators are still.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024
Collectives disputed internally or withered out of inactivity.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for withered
Verb
-
One in particular - in Angoville-au-Plain - still has dried blood on its pews.—
Jim Clash,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Decades ago, marshes were considered nuisances, soggy flats to be drained, dried, and made waterproof with liberal coatings of asphalt.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the worries quickly faded as the day began with calm waters.—
Amelia Wu,
Sacbee.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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But while overall buyer demand has faded, new home construction has helped prop up housing market values in Sun Belt markets, Zillow found.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Childhood illnesses had severely weakened her own heart.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
14 Sep. 2025
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Since then, the legal safeguards against such encounters have weakened.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Federal Reserve had been pressured to keep interest rates low to facilitate wartime financing, resulting in a dollar that sagged badly from its official gold parity.—
Nathan Lewis,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Withered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withered. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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