shrivel
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to contract and wrinkle, as from great heat, cold, or dryness.
- Synonyms:
- shrink
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to wither; make or become helpless or useless.
verb
-
to make or become shrunken and withered
-
to lose or cause to lose vitality
Synonym Usage
See wither.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shrivelsimple
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shrivelssimple
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have shriveledperfect
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have shrivelledperfect
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has shriveledperfect
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has shrivelledperfect
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am shrivelingprogressive
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am shrivellingprogressive
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are shrivelingprogressive
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are shrivellingprogressive
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is shrivelingprogressive
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is shrivellingprogressive
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have been shrivelingperfect progressive
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have been shrivellingperfect progressive
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has been shrivelingperfect progressive
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has been shrivellingperfect progressive
Past
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shriveledsimple
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shrivelledsimple
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had shriveledperfect
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had shrivelledperfect
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was shrivelingprogressive
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was shrivellingprogressive
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were shrivelingprogressive
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were shrivellingprogressive
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had been shrivelingperfect progressive
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had been shrivellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shrivel
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”; see scurf
Explanation
When things shrivel, they wrinkle up and get smaller, the way leaves begin to shrivel and turn brown in the fall. A lack of moisture can cause something to shrivel, and in humans it tends to be the natural process of aging that makes people shrivel a bit. Flowers will shrivel if you forget to water them, and grapes will eventually shrivel into raisins if you dry them out long enough. The root of shrivel is uncertain, but it may have a Scandinavian source and be related to the Swedish word skryvla, "to wrinkle."
Vocabulary lists containing shrivel
Seedfolks
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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"The Jacket"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
AUTOR: The view that everything exposed to AI will shrivel up and die makes no sense.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
He starts the film at a speed-dating event where, in a great montage, he disappoints a procession of dewy singletons who shrivel up when this hunk comes across as cold and rude.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025
Only a few short weeks after we carried the luscious green plant into our new home, its protruding branches and leaves started to shrivel.
From Slate • Nov. 13, 2024
"I thought I was going to shrivel away to nothing," Balsamico told Grist.
From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024
He gave Archie a look that would shrivel anybody else, but Archie just kept that silly smile on his face.
From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
