withers away
Slowly loses vitality
To wither away is to gradually decline, shrink, or fade until nearly gone.
Plants wither away from lack of water; hopes wither away from lack of encouragement.
The phrase emphasizes slow deterioration rather than sudden collapse: His enthusiasm withered away after months of rejection.
In Marxist theory, the state is supposed to wither away after revolution renders it unnecessary.
- breaks downStops functioning properly
- wiltLose vigor, sag
- decomposeBreak into simpler parts
- languishWeaken through suffering
- corrodeDestroy through chemical action
weathering · obsolescence · dies out · attrition · collapse · shrivel · dries up · wane · stagnation · fade · lose heart · perish · despair · atrophy · dwindle · peter out · evaporation · crumble