definitions

shrivel

[ shriv-uhl ]
/ ˈʃrɪv əl /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

dwindle, wilt, wither, shrink, welter, sear, burn, mummify, contract, parch, desiccate, stale, wrinkle, scorch, fossilize, mummy, wizen

Nearby words

shrinkage, shrinker, shrinking violet, shrinking violet, a, shrive, shrivel, shriven, shriver, shroff, shroom, shropshire

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

Related forms

un·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

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