shrivel

[ shriv-uhl ]

verb (used with or without object)

, shriv·eled, shriv·el·ing or (especially British) shriv·elled, shriv·el·ling.

1. to contract and wrinkle, as from great heat, cold, or dryness.

   Synonyms: shrink

2. to wither; make or become helpless or useless.

shrivel

/ ˈʃrɪvəl /

verb

1. to make or become shrunken and withered
2. to lose or cause to lose vitality

Other Words From

• un·shriveled adjective
• un·shrivelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrivel¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; akin to Swedish skroflig “uneven, rough” (perhaps originally “wrinkled, shrunken”), dialectal Swedish skryvla “to wrinkle,” Old English sceorfan “to roughen”; scurf

Word History and Origins

Origin of shrivel¹

C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish dialect skryvla wrinkle

Synonym Study

See wither.

Example Sentences

Only a few short weeks after we carried the luscious green plant into our new home, its protruding branches and leaves started to shrivel.

From Slate

"I thought I was going to shrivel away to nothing," Balsamico told Grist.

From Salon

His wife, Stephanie Allen, who cares for him, said it is hard to watch her husband, the commercial helicopter pilot, the veteran Hollywood crew member, shrivel in front of the TV.

From New York Times

Keir Starmer, by contrast, was cushioned, it appears, by a substantial poll lead and keen to ensure it didn't shrivel.

From BBC

And if the truth-tellers tell their truths less provocatively, consistently, and doggedly than the disinformers tell their lies, any shared notion of reality will shrivel.

From Salon

Related Words

• dwindle
• shrink
• wilt
• wither