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wither

/ˈwɪðər/·verb

to dry up, droop and die back from loss of water or vitality
Fig. 1 — A potted flower stands in a window that gets all the afternoon sun and none of the water.
01Definition

To wither is to dry up and die back for want of what keeps a living thing alive — water, sun, attention. A plant withers standing in its own pot: the colour dulls, the petals let go, the stem folds, and what remains is still recognisably the plant, only emptied of life. The word moves easily to anything that needed nourishment and stopped getting it: talents, friendships and industries wither too, usually slowly, and usually in place. It is an old relative of weather — what stands exposed too long, fades.

02In use
  • iWithout rain for six weeks, the young maize plants withered in the fields.
  • iiDeprived of funding, the once-lively exchange programme was left to wither on the vine.
  • iiiPublic enthusiasm for the reforms withered as prices continued to climb.
03Collocations
  • wither away
  • wither on the vine
  • crops wither in the drought
  • a withering look
  • withered leaves
  • hopes wither

Family withered (adjective) · withering (adjective)

04Relations

=shrivel, wilt, wane, dry up, fade

≠flourish, thrive, burgeon, bloom

06TOEFL & IELTS

Literal in reading passages on drought and climate (crops wither), and figurative gold in writing: industries wither without investment, skills wither from disuse — a precise, evocative upgrade on 'decline'. The idiom wither on the vine (a plan dies of neglect before it is ever tried) suits Task 2 conclusions about half-hearted policies. A withering look or withering criticism is scorn strong enough to shrivel its target — useful tone vocabulary for reading. Do not confuse the spelling with whither, an archaic 'to where' that survives in older texts.

07Asked
Is it wither or weather?
Different words, close sounds. Wither /ˈwɪðər/ (the KIT vowel) is to dry up and die back; weather /ˈweðər/ (the DRESS vowel) is the state of the sky — and, as a verb, to survive or wear down ('weather the storm', 'weathered rock'). The confusion runs deep because both describe what exposure does: rock weathers, plants wither. Listen for the vowel; it is the only audible difference.
What is the difference between wither and whither?
Whither is an archaic question word meaning 'to where' — 'Whither goest thou?' — and it survives in deliberately old-fashioned headlines like 'Whither Europe?'. Wither is the verb of drying up. In most accents they sound identical, so spelling is the only guard: if you could substitute 'where to', it needs the h.
What does 'wither on the vine' mean?
It means a promising thing failed through pure inattention — the image is fruit left unpicked until it dries on the plant. The idiom's natural subjects are things that needed follow-through: bills, proposals, peace talks and reforms all wither on the vine when attention moves elsewhere. It blames inaction rather than attack, which makes it a precise verdict for policy essays.
What does a 'withering look' mean?
A look that means to crush — the adjective pictures contempt as heat under which its object visibly shrinks. It pairs with look, glance, criticism and contempt, and the tone is usually cool rather than shouted: a withering remark is delivered quietly and lands hard. In reading passages it signals severe disapproval.
Can people and abstract things wither, or only plants?
Anything that needed nourishment can wither once the supply stops: industries wither without investment, friendships wither from neglect, confidence withers under constant criticism. Medicine uses it of the body — a withered limb is one wasted by disuse or disease. The scene above keeps the pattern visible: nothing attacks the flower; it dies in place, petal by petal, of plain deprivation.
What is the difference between wither and wilt?
Wilt is the earlier, reversible stage — the plant goes limp from thirst but recovers if watered; wither is the terminal one — the tissue dries, browns and dies back. A wilted lettuce can be revived; a withered one is finished. One line is enough here: each word has its own page on this site with the full picture.