Shrivel
/ˈʃrɪvəl/
verbB2
Definition
To shrivel is when something, often a plant or fruit, becomes smaller and wrinkled because it loses water or gets dry. It can also describe skin or other things that look smaller and less full because of this drying or aging process.
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See It in Action
To become wrinkled and smaller due to loss of water or drying
- •The leaves shriveled in the hot sun.
- •If you forget to water the plant, it will shrivel and die.
- •The fruit shriveled after being left out for days.
To lose strength or energy, often used for skin or body parts
- •His skin shriveled after many years in the sun.
- •The old man's hands looked shriveled from age.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "shrivel" like "dry" (A1 word), but more about the shape changing—getting wrinkly and smaller, not just losing water
- ✓Picture a grape left in the sun until it becomes a raisin—small, wrinkled, and dry
- ✓It's the feeling of something old and dry, like your skin after a long bath or a leaf in autumn
- ✓Sounds like "SHRIV-el" → imagine something shrinking and shivering as it loses water and life
- ✓Think of the story of a plant wilting when it doesn’t get water—its leaves shrivel up and look sad
- ✓NOT like "wilt" (which means to bend or droop), shrivel means to get smaller and wrinkled
- ✓NOT like "dry" alone (dry is just without water), shrivel adds the idea of wrinkling and shrinking
- ✓NOT like "shrink" (which means just becoming smaller), shrivel also means becoming wrinkled and rough
Try Other Words
- •Wither: to become weak or dry and lose freshness (Use when talking about plants losing life but focus on fading or dying)
- •Shrink: to become smaller in size (Use when size change is important but not wrinkles or drying)
- •Dry up: to lose all water (Use when focusing only on water loss, not shape change)
- •Contract: to become smaller by pulling together (Use in more formal or technical contexts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix) — root "shrivel" relates to shrinking and wrinkling
- •Etymology: From Middle English "shrivelen," related to "shrive" meaning to shrink or wrinkle
- •Historical development: Used since the 1400s to describe drying and wrinkling, especially of plants and skin
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to describe plants, fruit, skin, or anything that dries and wrinkles visibly
Reflect & Connect
•How does the word "shrivel" help you understand what happens to plants or fruit without water?
•Can "shrivel" be used to describe feelings or ideas? How would that work?
Fill in the blanks
1.When the hot sun shines too long, the leaves shrivel because they ___ water and ___ dry.
2.The old fruit began to shrivel and ___ its smooth skin.
3.Unlike just drying, shrivel means the object also becomes ___ and ___.
4.After many days without water, the plant's stem started to shrivel and ___.
5.People say skin can shrivel when it loses ___ and ___ over time.
6.You might say a person's confidence can shrivel if they ___ too much criticism.
7.To prevent a fruit from shriveling, you should keep it ___ and ___.