Standard Lemma guide

wizen

adj · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈwɪzən/
  • rhymes with -ɪzən
  • CMU ARPABET: W AY1 Z AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Wizened; withered; lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To wither; to become, or make, lean and wrinkled by shrinkage, as from age or illness.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness-W.F.Starkie

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the old woman's shriveled skin
  • he looked shriveled and ill
  • a shrunken old man
  • a lanky scarecrow of a man with withered face and lantern jaws
  • he did well despite his withered arm
  • a wizened little man with frizzy grey hair

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: shriveled, shrivelled, shrunken, withered, wizened

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English wisenen, from Old English wisnian, weosnian, from Proto-West Germanic *wisnōn, from Proto-Germanic *wisnōną, from Proto-Germanic *wesaną (“to consume”). Cognate with Icelandic visna, Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍅𐌹𐍃𐌰𐌽 (frawisan, “to squander through feasting”).

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: изсъхнал (izsǎhnal) — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Bulgarian: съсухрен (sǎsuhren) — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Czech: vrásčitý — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Czech: scvrklý — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Czech: seschlý — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Finnish: kurttuinen — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Italian: raggrinzito — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Māori: rerehe — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Norwegian Bokmål: vissen — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Norwegian Bokmål: innskrumpet — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sammenskrumpet — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Ukrainian: висохлий (vysoxlyj) — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Ukrainian: зморщений (zmorščenyj) — lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Bulgarian: изсъхвам (izsǎhvam) — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Bulgarian: съсухрям се (sǎsuhrjam se) — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Czech: svraskat — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Czech: scvrknout se — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Czech: seschnout — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Finnish: kurtistua — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Finnish: kurttuuntua — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage
  • Finnish: mennä kurttuun — to become lean and wrinkled by shrinkage