Wither

¹ American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

Also Withers

noun

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

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wither ² 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 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

Paramount’s amendment follows the Warner board’s withering critique of Paramount’s $30 a share offer, citing numerous risks and uncertainty due to an “opaque” financing structure.

From Los Angeles Times

Connections between regions wither and the brain increasingly relies on individual regions.

From The Wall Street Journal

She has a withering way of never uttering her former fiancé’s name, referring to him as “a man I met when I was 19.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Was it possible that my relentless travel had caused me to miscarry — and in a country where I knew women sometimes faced withering criticism and blame for poor pregnancy outcomes?

From Salon

The plant fragments at our feet darken, wither, and die almost immediately, as if deathly allergic to our positivity.

From Literature

Related Words

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