shrivel

[ shriv-uhl ]

/ ˈʃrɪv əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shrivel ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object), shriv·eled, shriv·el·ing or (especially British) shriv·elled, shriv·el·ling.

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

to wither; make or become helpless or useless.

Nearby words

Origin of shrivel

1595–1605; akin to Swedish skroflig uneven, rough (perhaps orig. wrinkled, shrunken), dialectal Swedish skryvla to wrinkle, Old English sceorfan to roughen; see scurf

SYNONYMS FOR shrivel

1 shrink. See wither.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shrivel ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·shriv·eled, adjectiveun·shriv·elled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shriveled

They became so brown and shriveled that they looked like walking beef jerky with New York accents.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The bone marrow of the dead soldiers was depleted dramatically, and their lymph nodes had shriveled away.
Sarin, Nitrogen Mustard, Cyanide & More: All About Chemical Weapons|Kent Sepkowitz|August 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
A dreadful disease, possibly muscular dystrophy, had shriveled his legs.
Enough With This 'Lost Cause' Nonsense|Justin Green|February 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As the upstate economy has shriveled, the state government has come to rely heavily on the financial sector as a revenue source.
What Paterson Got Right|Reihan Salam|March 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST

But long before the youth who chooses such a goal has reached it, he will have dwarfed his manhood, and shriveled his soul.
The Victorious Attitude|Orison Swett Marden
There was a clot of seaweed at his wrist, and the soles of his feet and one up-turned palm were grayish and shriveled.
The Jewels of Aptor|Samuel R. Delany
And with each rushing toward the other, the distance between them just shriveled away like snow in a blast furnace.
Dave Dawson on the Russian Front|R. Sidney Bowen
Were you to wash them, and leave them to dry by themselves, they would have a very mean and shriveled appearance.
How to Stuff Birds and Animals|Aaron A. Warford
The Ben Akbar Ali had last seen had shown the sunken cheeks, shriveled neck, worn teeth and stiffened joints of the aging.
Hi Jolly!|James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for shriveled

shrivel

/ (ˈʃrɪvəl) /

verb -els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

to make or become shrunken and withered

to lose or cause to lose vitality

Word Origin for shrivel

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shriveled

shrivel

1560s (implied in shriveled), of unknown origin, not found in Middle English; perhaps from a Scandinavian source (cf. Swedish skryvla "to wrinkle, to shrivel"), perhaps ultimately connected with shrimp (n.) and shrink (v.). Related: Shriveled; shriveling.