What does shrivelled mean?
Shrivelled describes something that has become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled, usually because it has lost moisture. The word is especially associated with heat, drought, age, or long storage, as with shrivelled fruit, leaves, and seed pods. It can also be used figuratively for an institution, opportunity, or plan that has been reduced in scale, vitality, or effectiveness. In literal uses, “shrivelled” is more specific than a general word for dryness: the thing has visibly contracted or become wrinkled. In figurative contexts, it often suggests neglect, inadequate resources, or deterioration, giving the expression a distinctly negative tone. Both “shrivelled” and the American variant “shriveled” are established in standard usage.
Made dry, shrunken, and wrinkled, especially through heat or loss of moisture.
"The fruit had turned black and shrivelled on the branch."
Often used for organic material such as fruit, leaves, and vegetation, though it can describe other substances.
Reduced or diminished in size, vitality, effectiveness, or resources.
"The proposal survived, but in a badly shrivelled form."
Figurative and typically negative in tone.
The word captures what heat does in an instant: leather, leaves, fruit, and even plans can end up dry, tight, and reduced.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shrivelled come from?
The adjective is formed from the English verb “shrive”, in the sense of drying, shrinking, or withering. The older word is related in form to a group of English verbs describing contraction or drying, although their precise historical connections are not always clear. Modern usage commonly appears in the participles “shrivelled” and “shriveled,” with the doubled consonant retained especially in British spelling.
Related word forms
How shrivelled is actually used
The adjective is common in both British and American English; the spelling varies, with “shrivelled” standard in British English and both “shrivelled” and “shriveled” used in American English. Its figurative use conveys severe reduction or decline.
Easily confused with shrivelled
Both describe deterioration through drying, but shrivelled specifically emphasizes shrinkage and wrinkling, whereas withered more often suggests a loss of freshness, vigour, or vitality.