withered away
Slowly dried up
To wither away is to gradually shrink, weaken, and disappear.
Plants wither away from lack of water; muscles wither away from disuse.
The phrase emphasizes slow decline toward nothing: Her enthusiasm withered away after months of rejection.
Political movements, relationships, and hopes can all wither away when no longer nourished.
- shrivelContract from dryness
- languishWeaken through suffering
- fadeLose intensity gradually
- wiltLose vigor, sag
- declineDecrease or refuse
desiccate · skin and bones · degrade · atrophy · hollow out · dwindle · ebb · perish · decay · gone to seed · vanish · rot · dissipate · weaken · diminish · crumble · regress · erode
size and presence
withered awayexpanded
Made larger or wider
grew · swelled · proliferated · spread · mushroomed