shrivel

[shriv-uhl]

verb (used with or without object)

shriveled, shriveling , shrivelled, shrivelling .

1. to contract and wrinkle, as from great heat, cold, or dryness.

   Synonyms: shrink

2. to wither; make or become helpless or useless.

shrivel

/ ˈʃrɪvəl /

verb

1. to make or become shrunken and withered

2. to lose or cause to lose vitality

Other Word Forms

• unshriveled adjective
• unshrivelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrivel¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; akin to Swedish skroflig “uneven, rough” (perhaps originally “wrinkled, shrunken”), dialectal Swedish skryvla “to wrinkle,” Old English sceorfan “to roughen”; scurf

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrivel¹

C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect skryvla wrinkle

Synonym Study

See wither.

Related Words

• dwindle 
• shrink 
• wilt 
• wither