WITHER Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

wither

verb

ˈwi-t͟hər

Definition of wither

as in to dry

to lose liveliness, force, or freshness shortly after the moon landing, interest in the space program withered the old man seemed to wither suddenly upon turning 80

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to fade

to lose bodily strength or vigor if he's left on his own, he'll just wither and die

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wither Those production lines were shut down after the Soviet breakup in 1991, and the industry has since mostly withered. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026 The throuple moved into faculty housing, where Lakofski withered, depressed by life in a conventional apartment. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 Sep. 2026 Dull blades leave tears and ragged ends that cause grass blades to wither and bleach out more quickly. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2026 But his support among Palestinians has withered during years of corruption and the sometimes violent advance of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wither

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wither

Verb

For about five days, the murres rotate between the drying pens — which blow warm air on the birds — and 80-degree pools of water inside the clinic.

— Stephanie Zappelli, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Tyrese Haliburton needed the towel draped around his neck to dry the tears streaming down his cheeks.

— Peter Finney Jr, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of dry

Verb

That terrible scenario that doesn't easily fade definitely caused everyone to believe Quinn was at it again on Monday night – messing up again, forgetting that the last play was fourth down instead of third down.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Yet, in the urban South, recent linguistic research finds that the drawl’s most salient features are starting to fade on the lips of young speakers.

— Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of fade

Verb

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned on ending the rides on day one of his administration but the effort wilted amid a backlash from unions and a big media blitz involving actor Liam Neeson.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
There are years of desire, wilting in silence, or the frenzied rhythm of regret.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of wilt

Verb

Conditions were expected to improve Saturday afternoon as winds weakened, with fair and dry weather forecast for the remainder of the weekend.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
As trust in America weakens further, other wealthy nations will make the same calculation.

— Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of weaken

Verb

China’s surging shipments are much more than just surplus production, the difference between what comes out of Chinese factories and what can be sold domestically in a sagging economy.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
In the grayness that should have been sunrise that morning, dark clouds sagged baggily over the very treetops, bulging as if ready to split under their liquid weight.

— Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of sag

Verb

Jayaprakash told Fortune that most of the new money will go toward purchasing more computing power.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Bauers and his wife, Lauren Bauers, sat down with ABC News’ Will Reeve to discuss his journey, going from nearly walking away from professional baseball in 2024 to being named the National League Championship Series MVP last week.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of go

Verb

Because Tesla’s bylaws count abstentions as votes against, the measure failed, Bloomberg reported.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
In its ruling, the court said the parent group had failed to show Asian American students were harmed, because they were still being admitted at higher rates than the applicant pool.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026