wizened

[ wiz-uhnd; wee-zuhnd ]

adjective

1. withered; shriveled:

   a wizened old man; wizened features.

wizened

/ ˈwɪzənd /

adjective

1. shrivelled, wrinkled, or dried up, esp with age

Word History and Origins

Origin of wizened¹

First recorded in 1505–15; wizen + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Grammy voters go back and forth with this award: Sometimes they anoint headstrong youngsters as rock’s great new hope; other times they congratulate wizened oldsters for staying in the game.

From Los Angeles Times

But the admiring, even celebratory, tone of these paeans to hot actresses remaining hot well past Hollywood’s traditional expiration date masks the shadow side of this phenomenon: The wizened, terrifying hag.

From Salon

Cecilia also encounters a wizened nun with large cross-shaped scars on the soles of her feet.

From New York Times

The plant had once been glorious but was abandoned in critical condition, with sap-oozing wounds and wizened limbs.

From New York Times

Jeremy Egner of The New York Times wrote that “Stewart’s first night found him grayer — at one point he used his own wizened face as a prop in a joke about the presidential candidates’ ages.

From Seattle Times