- wither
- wither, shrivel, wizen mean to lose or cause to lose freshness and smoothness of appearance.Wither implies a loss of vital moisture (as sap or body fluids) with consequent fading or drying up and ultimate decay or death{
withered leaves
}{[blossoms] which fall before they wither— Binyon
}The term is often used in an extended sense implying a similar loss of vitality, vigor, or animation{age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety— Shak.
}{art, he thought, should flower from an immediate impulse towards self-expression or communication, and should wither with the passing of the impulse— Huxley
}Shrivel carries a stronger implication of becoming wrinkled or crinkled or shrunken in size than wither; usually also it implies a cause (as a blasting or blighting by or as if by intense heat) or a lack of invigorating influences (as rain or, in extended use, encouragement, stimulation, or variety of employments){the leaves shrivel in the hot sun
}{age has shriveled her skin
}{the man whose . . . practical life [is] shriveled to an insignificant routine— Ellis
}Wizen, especially in the past participle, is often preferred to wither or shrivel when the ideas of shrinking in size, and the wrinkling of the face or other surface especially through age, lack of nourishment, or failing vitality are especially stressed{a wizened old man
}{the wizened face of a poorly nourished boy
}{a wizened shrub, a starveling bough— Browning
}
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
