wither

¹ American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to shrivel; fade; decay.

   The grapes had withered on the vine.

   Synonyms:

   waste , droop , languish , decline , dry , shrink , wrinkle

2. to lose the freshness of youth, as from age (often followed byaway ).

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verb (used with object)

1. to make flaccid, shrunken, or dry, as from loss of moisture; cause to lose freshness, bloom, vigor, etc..

   The drought withered the buds.

2. to affect harmfully.

   Reputations were withered by the scandal.

3. to abash, as by a scathing glance.

   a look that withered him.

   Synonyms:

   shame , humiliate

Wither ² American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

Also Withers

noun

1. George, 1588–1667, English poet and pamphleteer.

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wither British  

/ ˈwɪðə /

verb

1. (intr) (esp of a plant) to droop, wilt, or shrivel up

2. to fade or waste

   all hope withered away

3. (intr) to decay, decline, or disintegrate

4. (tr) to cause to wilt, fade, or lose vitality

5. (tr) to abash, esp with a scornful look

6. (tr) to harm or damage

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Related Words

Wither, shrivel imply a shrinking, wilting, and wrinkling. Wither (of plants and flowers) is to dry up, shrink, wilt, fade, whether as a natural process or as the result of exposure to excessive heat or drought: Plants withered in the hot sun. Shrivel, used of thin, flat objects and substances, such as leaves, the skin, etc., means to curl, roll up, become wrinkled: The leaves shrivel in cold weather. Paper shrivels in fire.

Other Word Forms

• nonwithering adjective
• overwithered adjective
• unwithered adjective
• unwithering adjective
• withered adjective
• witheredness noun
• witherer noun
• withering adjective
• witheringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of wither

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, perhaps variant of weather (verb)

Example Sentences

It’s a marked improvement from 2024, when a record dry streak over the fall and winter left vegetation withered and primed to burn.

From Los Angeles Times

But few enter politics to see constituents endangered and withering.

From The Wall Street Journal

That would be a far cry from last year, when Southern California grappled with a record dry streak over the fall and winter that left vegetation withered and primed to burn.

From Los Angeles Times

“And then,” Sharp said, “it just withered on the vine.”

From Salon

For Prado, the project began with a simple question: how can this plant remain green and healthy when most others would wither within hours?

From Science Daily

Related Words

• atrophy
• decay
• deflate
• deteriorate
• disintegrate
• dry
• fade
• languish
• perish
• shrink
• shrivel
• wane
• wilt