withering

American  

[with-er-ing] / ˈwɪð ər ɪŋ /

adjective

1. scathing; deeply humiliating; contemptuous.

2. causing harm or loss of vitality; damaging.

3. (of plants) wilting or shriveling up, such as from disease or lack of moisture.

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Explanation

Withering is the process of becoming weaker. You can watch the withering of a flower bouquet in water — over the days and weeks, the blossoms become droopy and faded. You might talk about the withering of trees in a drought or the withering of people's bank accounts during an economic recession. Withering can also be used as an adjective, to describe something with a terrible, destructive strength, like a withering hurricane. It comes from the verb wither, to dry up or shrivel, from the Old English word wydderen, which is a variation on wederen, "to expose to the weather."

Example Sentences

Withering caricatures began to seem inadequate—too easy, too ungenerous.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Withering in the face of foul trouble against Gonzaga last week did not change the Bruins’ opinion that going big is the way to go.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2023

Withering was not necessarily a cry for water.

From Washington Post • Jul. 22, 2022

Withering corn stalks rustle in the wind as the neighbor’s giant green tractor groans from across the two-lane road.

From Salon • Nov. 18, 2018

I do as she says, and when I enter the lounge room, I see she’s been trying to read Withering Heights on her own, but she hasn’t made it far.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak