withering
adjective
with·er·ing
| \ ˈwit͟h-riŋ
, ˈwi-t͟hə-\
, ˈwi-t͟hə-\
Definition of withering
: acting or serving to cut down or destroy : devastating
a withering fire from the enemy a withering rebuke
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Other Words from withering
witheringly
\ ˈwit͟h-riŋ-lē
, ˈwi-t͟hə- \
adverb
, ˈwi-t͟hə- \
adverb
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
The decision by Netanyahu's government to deny entry to two sitting members of Congress prompted withering criticism from Democrats, who said the move could damage the typical bipartisan support among U.S. lawmakers for Israel. — Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, "Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar denounce Israel's travel restrictions during press conference," 19 Aug. 2019 But every other candidate quickly looked to score points by taking him out, and Biden spent the better part of the night fighting off their withering attacks. — Fox News, "Biden under attack from all sides at Wednesday's debate; Mystery surrounds death of bin Laden's son," 1 Aug. 2019 In 2011, former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin and current Executive Secretary of the National Space Council Scott Pace—both SLS advocates—wrote a withering criticism of the technology for Space News. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "NASA agrees to work with SpaceX on orbital refueling technology," 31 July 2019 Through months of withering attacks by Mr. Trump and his allies, Mr. Mueller’s response was unchanged and often frustrating to his allies: total silence. — Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, "What We Learned From Mueller’s 7 Hours on Capitol Hill," 24 July 2019 Faced with withering criticism over the model once it was highlighted by the New York Times, Xu said yesterday (July 23) on Twitter that DoorDash would change its model. — Alison Griswold, Quartz, "DoorDash says it will change tipping policy after widespread outrage," 24 July 2019 Some Category Four children end up in ORR's foster care system, but the majority remain in ORR's network of nearly 170 shelters, some of which have been the subject of withering widespread criticism. — Graham Kates, CBS News, "Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children could be detained indefinitely," 23 July 2019 Lam, who has come under withering criticism for trying to push the extradition legislation through, has pledged to be more responsive to public sentiment. — Fox News, "Hong Kong demonstrators smash government building amid protests on anniversary of return of Chinese rule," 2 July 2019 For years, the SLS has faced withering criticism for being perpetually behind schedule and over budget. — Christian Davenport, Washington Post, "White House frustration over moon mission delays preceded removal of top NASA official," 11 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'withering.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for withering
withering
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of withering
: very harsh, severe, or damaging
See the full definition for withering in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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