: acting or serving to cut down or destroy : devastating
a withering fire from the enemy
a withering rebuke
Examples of withering in a Sentence
The book has been the subject of withering criticism.
She gave me a withering look.
Recent Examples on the Web
But the ending of The Platform 2 extinguishes that hope in a rather withering way.
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
The show’s perspective on charter schools becomes all the more withering when Ava comes around to Barbara’s point of view.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2023
Esper has come under withering criticism for using that term, and Mattis joined in Wednesay.
—Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY, 3 June 2020
The cages demanded daily cleaning, another of Edith’s chores, performed under the withering scrutiny of her grandmother.
—Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2020
See all Example Sentences for withering 
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A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
The show’s perspective on charter schools becomes all the more withering when Ava comes around to Barbara’s point of view.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2023
Esper has come under withering criticism for using that term, and Mattis joined in Wednesay.
—Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY, 3 June 2020
The cages demanded daily cleaning, another of Edith’s chores, performed under the withering scrutiny of her grandmother.
—Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2020
See all Example Sentences for withering
Dictionary Entries Near withering
Cite this Entry
“Withering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/withering. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
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