How to Use withdrawn in a Sentence

withdrawn

adjective
  • She was withdrawn as a child but is now more outgoing.
  • He became more withdrawn after his brother's death.
  • Dano is equally good as Burt, but plays him as far more withdrawn.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 11 Nov. 2022
  • Managers tell me their best people are anxious, withdrawn or just worn out.
    — Suzy Welch, CNBC, 17 June 2025
  • Miller grew even more withdrawn as puberty transformed his body.
    — Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 22 June 2022
  • Those in the latter group often become withdrawn and avoid avoid eye contact.
    — Samantha Facciolo, Marie Claire, 22 June 2018
  • My main criticism is its withdrawn camera, which is set too far away from the action in most stages.
    — PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Today, his resting face is grim; his demeanor, anxious and withdrawn.
    — Caroline Chen, ProPublica, 27 Feb. 2023
  • But the film doesn’t glamorize Callas, and instead portrays her as sad and withdrawn.
    — Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Her other two children were teenagers — quieter, more withdrawn, already leading their own lives.
    — Sam Dolnick, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2022
  • Araoz lost weight, became withdrawn and was frequently angry, her mother said.
    — NBC News, 10 July 2019
  • Goofy bits from the first half return in poignant fashion, and Song’s posture changes, becoming tighter and more withdrawn.
    — Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
  • Notice if the child becomes withdrawn, anxious, or shows signs of distress connected to a friendship.
    — Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 10 July 2025
  • Smith noticed that her husband was becoming more withdrawn, skipping work events and cutting corners.
    — Wesley Lowery, Men's Health, 18 Nov. 2022
  • Some, Wallpe says, may become more withdrawn, while others might behave more ambivalently.
    — Angela Hatem, National Geographic, 22 Sep. 2020
  • There are other issues tucked into the movie’s side pockets, like how William misses his father so much that he’s become withdrawn.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Feb. 2025
  • The film depicts a shy and withdrawn child who begins to emerge from her shell during a summer stay with relatives in rural Ireland.
    — Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Nov. 2022
  • Often, people that indulge in this type of culture are considered anti-social or withdrawn, a stereotype that has been passed around for years.
    — Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2025
  • His posture slightly hunched over, Anthony seemed shy and withdrawn, not likely to be trouble or a nuisance for anyone.
    — Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2023
  • But, while some Guanyins from this period can appear somewhat withdrawn or otherworldly, this one is anything but.
    — Lee Lawrence, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2017
  • This year Ben, now 7, became more withdrawn, unable to make friends and vehemently resistant to school.
    — Lisa Selin Davis, CNN, 11 June 2020
  • In the front, Sergine worried that the long hours in the car were making Jayden more withdrawn, less confident and sociable.
    — Washington Post, 6 June 2020
  • Unsure of other people and a little stressed in the shelter environment, this black and white beauty was a bit withdrawn and did not want to interact with others.
    — The Arizona Republic, 6 Nov. 2021
  • Steve Mariucci and the coaching staff didn’t seem to know what to make of Rice, who had become more temperamental and withdrawn.
    — Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2025
  • Jade and John told Dateline both had noticed their daughter was acting a bit withdrawn in the period leading up to her disappearance.
    — Veronica Fulton, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Police haven't released any information about a motive in the killings, but Echegoyen said Cañas appeared more withdrawn than usual in recent weeks.
    — Jacob Carpenter, Houston Chronicle, 10 Jan. 2018
  • College graduate Panahi, who didn’t have the daily routine of attending classes, became withdrawn and sad in her first months in Milwaukee.
    — Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 13 May 2022
  • Vontae, an 11-year-old African-American boy from Los Angeles, at first seems merely withdrawn and listless.
    — Peter Keough, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2018
  • The withdrawn draft focused on setting up several new watchdogs to keep AI in check, including a dedicated commission and a special insurance fund to help people if the new technology caused harm.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The story follows Trey, a withdrawn ex-con surviving as a night driver on the city’s margins, who forms a tentative and increasingly intimate bond with Camden (Dafne Keen), a sharp and restless young woman working as a call girl.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'withdrawn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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