as in failing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in drooping
to be limp from lack of water or vigor
the plants wilted after I forgot to water them for three whole days
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
to lose bodily strength or vigor
she had wilted a bit after walking around the hot and humid city
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in drying
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness
after six solid hours of painting, his energy was starting to wilt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wilting
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025
Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 8 Jan. 2026
Handmade metal sculptures reproduced the park’s plants in all their wilting, late-summer glory.
—Javier Montes, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
If your poinsettia’s leaves are drooping, wilting, or curling, the cause may be related to its environment and care.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 Dec. 2025
Brown, crispy leaf tips, wilting and leaf drop, and spider mites indicate too little humidity.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Dec. 2025
The sellers had painted the walls a yellowish hue hovering somewhere between a ripe banana and the grey of a wilting pear.
—Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Their two fourth-quarter drives started strong and ended up wilting, first with the Nix pick and second with a couple of bad penalties on Dobbins (for spiking the ball after a run) and tight end Adam Trautman (facemask).
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Adrian Kempe and Corey Perry also scored, Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves, and the Kings were able to respond after wilting late in similar circumstances in a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday.
—CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
Early signs that your plant is dying are wilting or falling leaves or stunted growth.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2025
Another telltale sign is finding green or black streaks along the inner wood of wilting branches.
—Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
The Heat won the third quarter 26-21 to enter the fourth quarter with a 91-90 lead before wilting down the stretch.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Into the mix are their best friends, lawyer Barry (Andy Samberg) and his wife Amy (Kate McKinnon), who mostly are observers of the wilting Roses but with just the right touch of sympathy and advice.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2025
Use an ice cube tray to freeze lemon juice, wilting herbs, and even red wine, all of which are perfect additions to your home cooking.
—Gia Mora, Treehugger, 7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
No wilting languor on this veranda — for that matter, no veranda either — just ferocity, desperation, and, of course, brutal desire.
—Noun
Avoid placing the plant in direct sunlight, as sudden exposure can cause stress and lead to wilting or sunburn.
—Verb
Yet there the Packers were in Chicago, wilting under the pressure of one yet again.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for wilting
Noun
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Stephen Ross, the Miami Dolphins’ majority owner since 2009, is now looking for his eighth different head coach in a parade of floundering, flailing and failing.—
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Robotics startups typically prefer to show off their research prototypes in videos on social media, offering them the opportunity to show the machines at their best and edit out their failings.—
Verb
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This will help keep drooping earrings upright and help distribute the weight more evenly.—
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Stay below 10% alcohol, and your paperwhite bulbs will still produce beautiful blooms when their water is spiked, just without the tall, drooping stems.—
Verb
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But her role as fading movie star Kay Stone in Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, opposite Timothée Chalamet, marks her grand return.—
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The days of underground stashes and whispered conversations are fading fast.—
Verb
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Spanx elevates its plain T-shirt by making it out of a buttery-soft, stretchable fabric that is moisture-wicking and quick-drying.—
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Vinegar can be drying, so remember to condition leather to keep it supple.—
Noun
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While the economy has been resilient for the most part, any weakening in 2026 could have an outsize effect on more price-sensitive consumers and, therefore, airlines that are more exposed to coach-class domestic travel, like lower-cost carriers.—
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One is the weakening of the American economy.—
Verb
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Such rotting fruit from the forest floor contained higher concentrations of fermenting yeast and alcohol than the fruits hanging from trees.—
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Even as students work longer hours to avoid borrowing, loans accumulate like a cloud hanging overhead.—
Verb
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The fragile skeleton of her ego threatened to snap under the pressure of the animal forces that pressed down on her consciousness, her narrative mind sagging and distended beneath pitiless and grandiose feeling.—
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With age, the body’s natural collagen supplies decline, which can result in sagging, crepey skin.—
Verb
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A little over 18 months later, the activist investor Elliott Investment Management built a stake in Southwest and launched a withering campaign that called for sweeping board changes, including the removal of Jordan and his then-chairman, Gary Kelly.—
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Employment doldrums have affected even the state’s hallmark sectors, most obviously Southern California’s withering film and TV production industry and the Bay Area’s high technology concentration.—
Cite this Entry
“Wilting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wilting. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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