withering 1 of 2

noun

Definition of witheringnext
as in failing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

withering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wither
1
as in drying
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for withering
  1. failing
  2. deterioration
  3. weakening
  4. degeneration
  5. decline
Noun
  • The incident and subsequent reports on safety failings by ride operators led to the Tyre Sampson Act, a pair of bills unanimously approved by the Florida Legislature in 2023 that closed gaps in ride safety laws.
    Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2024
  • The rise of a more populist GOP and the growing sense that the right must confront the failings of higher education means that things are likely to go very differently in a second Trump administration.
    Frederick Hess, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of failing
Noun
  • Coined as far back as 1854 by Henry David Thoreau in Walden, the idea of mental deterioration from trivial distractions has never been more relevant.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Tedeschi credits Park Road with heroic work on the Maysles footage, which was delivered to them in various stages of deterioration.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024
Definition of deterioration
Verb
  • One concern Giordano brings up is rapamycin further weakening a person’s immune system.
    Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Additionally, stronger enforcement of existing sanctions and the introduction of tariffs on Russian goods, in addition to the goods of its backers — weakening Putin’s grip on power and the Russian economy.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of weakening
Noun
  • Researchers believe that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds found in fresh and dried garlic may help reduce inflammation in the brain and protect against nerve cell degeneration, which could help support overall brain health and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.4 3.
    Jillian Kubala, Health, 10 Dec. 2024
  • In the spring of 1993, nerve degeneration from ALS began causing Woody’s speech to slur.
    Shaun Raviv, WIRED, 21 Jan. 2020
Definition of degeneration
Noun
  • The decline in childhood vaccination rates threaten herd immunity and will ultimately allow diseases that were thought to be eradicated to reappear.
    Omer Awan, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
  • The decline may not seem like a lot, but even a small shift matters in close elections — especially in battleground states with large union memberships, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
    Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2024
Definition of decline
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near withering

withered

withering

withers

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Withering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/withering. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on withering

Nglish: Translation of withering for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of withering for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about withering

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...