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• wither
  wither

  verb (used without object)

  to shrivel; fade; decay.
• Wither
  Wither

  noun

  George, 1588–1667, English poet and pamphleteer.

wither

¹ American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

verb (used without object)

• withers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• withered,
  past participle,  past
• withering
  present participle

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)

• withers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• withered,
  past participle,  past
• withering
  present participle

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 ² American  

[with-er] / ˈwɪð ər /

Also Withers

noun

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

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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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Synonym Usage

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

Derived Forms

• witheredness
  noun
• witherer
  noun
• nonwithering
  adjective
• overwithered
  adjective
• unwithered
  adjective
• unwithering
  adjective
• withered
  adjective
• withering
  adjective
• witheringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• withering
  present
• withered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wither
  simple
• withers
  simple
• have withered
  perfect
• has withered
  perfect
• am withering
  progressive
• are withering
  progressive
• is withering
  progressive
• have been withering
  perfect progressive
• has been withering
  perfect progressive

Past

• withered
  simple
• had withered
  perfect
• was withering
  progressive
• were withering
  progressive
• had been withering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wither
  simple
• will have withered
  perfect
• will be withering
  progressive
• will have been withering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of wither

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, perhaps variant of weather (verb)

Explanation

Wither means to shrivel up or shrink. If you forget to water your plants for six weeks, they'll wither — they'll dry up and you probably won't be able to bring them back to life. Wither comes from the Middle English word wydderen, meaning "dry up, shrivel." In addition to shrinking, the verb wither can also refer to losing vitality and fading away, like people who wither as they age. They slowly lose their physical stamina and grow feeble. People also start to physically shrink at a certain age. In that way, they wither in both senses. Not only do they wither by losing their youth, they also wither by shrinking.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wither Wither withers withered withering

We do need to eliminate poverty for older Americans, but the answer lies in strengthening SSI, which has been allowed to wither on the vine.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026

For Bienvenu, the reliance on AI in the creative process is dangerous because it risks allowing the imagination to wither.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

But it would have been wrong to think support for independence would wither away.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

She couldn’t look away, even though the sight of it made her wither inside.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

“If Uri Geller is disappointed by getting his predictions wrong,” writes Andy, “maybe he’ll cheer himself up with a drink at a Wither Spoons.”

From The Guardian ● Dec. 4, 2021

Wither went on to write for another 25 years.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 7, 2016

Related: Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume review – instils fear and wonder And yet, possible though it may be to subsist as an artist in Ireland, it is extremely rare.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 13, 2016

Acentia of Falls Church appointed Cherri Harris director of business development for the science and education sector and Victor Wither senior proposal manager.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2012

Mrs. Wither for her part had run out of the house as quickly as she could.

From The Truants by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason

The horses are characterised by their "large size, long legs, well-developed musculature, slender and elegant head -- set on a long, straight neck -- expressive eyes, high withers and sturdy hooves," he added.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

It also withers behind a paywall, is manipulated by social media algorithms and hollowed out by covert corporate consolidation.

From Salon ● May 26, 2025

As fine arts funding withers across sectors and Hollywood budgets shrink while studios retreat from local productions, workers are still recovering from lengthy strikes and the incipient threat of artificial intelligence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2025

Their results show that the grass withers due to a lack of water inside the fairy circle.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 19, 2024

McCarthy shoved his way up to the horse and propped a microphone on Seabiscuit’s withers.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Yet the league's highest-earning clubs have hardly withered in the face of the challenge from outside the six, and Spurs' pursuit of Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali is a reminder of that.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

By the century’s end it was fragmentary and partially overgrown, its once-pulsing culture withered to a memory that only the growth of the federal highway system in the 20th century would revive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

The Texas troubadour is celebrating not what’s withered and worn but authentic and real.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

It’s a marked improvement from 2024, when a record dry streak over the fall and winter left vegetation withered and primed to burn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2025

That’s who the minders are like—the adults of Omelas, the ones who smile and go about their day and revel in the false illusion of freedom while their souls are withered, desolate things.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

All three organisations, in their own way, offered a withering assessment of how Fifa is being run under Infantino.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

"Sternly staring at inflation until it melts before our withering gaze is not an option."

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Yet from the bench his questions can be blunt, withering and even sarcastic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

It has coincided with a withering heat wave in the eastern U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

Miss Preston levels a withering look at me.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

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