Any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use).

synonym: atrophy.

Polish: atrofia

Wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction:
— The guns opened a withering fire.

synonyms: annihilating, annihilative, devastating.

Roget 930: contemptuous; disdainful, scornful; withering, contumelious, supercilious, cynical, haughty, bumptious, cavalier; derisive.    contemptible, despicable; pitiable; pitiful etc. (unimportant) 643; despised etc. v.; downtrodden; unenvied^†.    unrespectable (unworthy) 874.    ... show more

Roget 659: unimproved etc. (improve) etc. 658; deteriorated etc. v.; altered, altered for the worse; injured etc. v.; sprung; withering, spoiling etc. v.; on the wane, on the decline; tabid^†; degenerate; marescent^†; worse; the worse for, all the worse for; out of repair, out of tune; imperfect etc. 651; the worse for wear; battered; weathered, weather-beaten; stale, passe, shaken, dilapidated, frayed, faded, wilted, shabby, secondhand, threadbare; worn, worn to a thread, worn to a shadow, worn to the stump, worn to rags; reduced, reduced to a skeleton; far gone; tacky [U.S.].    decayed etc. v.; moth-eaten, worm-eaten; mildewed, rusty, moldy, spotted, seedy, time-worn, moss-grown; discolored; effete, wasted, crumbling, moldering, rotten, cankered, blighted, tainted; depraved etc. (vicious) 945; decrepid^†, decrepit; broke, busted, broken, out of commission, hors de combat [Fr.], out of action, broken down; done, done for, done up; worn out, used up, finished; beyond saving, fit for the dust hole, fit for the wastepaper basket, past work etc. (useless) 645.    at a low ebb, in a bad way, on one's last legs; undermined, deciduous; nodding to its fall etc. (destruction) 162; tottering etc. (dangerous) 665; past cure etc. (hopeless) 859; fatigued etc. 688; retrograde etc. (retrogressive) 283; deleterious etc. 649.    ... show more

Roget 932: disapproving etc. v.; scandalized.    disparaging, condemnatory, damnatory^†, denunciatory, reproachful, abusive, objurgatory^†, clamorous, vituperative; defamatory etc. 934.    satirical, sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, dry, sharp, cutting, biting, severe, withering, trenchant, hard upon; censorious, critical, captious, carping, hypercritical; fastidious etc. 868; sparing of praise, grudging praise.    disapproved, chid etc. v.; in bad odor, blown upon, unapproved; unblest^†; at a discount, exploded; weighed in the balance and found wanting.    blameworthy, reprehensible etc. (guilt) 947; to blame, worthy of blame; answerable, uncommendable, exceptionable, not to be thought of; bad etc. 649; vicious etc. 945.    unlamented, unbewailed^†, unpitied^†.    ... show more

Roget 739: severe; strict, hard, harsh, dour, rigid, stiff, stern, rigorous, uncompromising, exacting, exigent, exigeant^†, inexorable, inflexible, obdurate, austere, hard-headed, hard-nosed, hard-shell [U.S.], relentless, Spartan, Draconian, stringent, strait-laced, searching, unsparing, iron-handed, peremptory, absolute, positive, arbitrary, imperative; coercive etc. 744; tyrannical, extortionate, grinding, withering, oppressive, inquisitorial; inclement etc. (ruthless) 914.1; cruel etc. (malevolent) 907; haughty, arrogant etc. 885; precisian^†.    ... show more

Roget 830: causing pain, hurting etc. v.; hurtful etc. (bad) 649; painful; dolorific^†, dolorous; unpleasant; unpleasing, displeasing; disagreeable, unpalatable, bitter, distasteful; uninviting; unwelcome; undesirable, undesired; obnoxious; unacceptable, unpopular, thankless.    unsatisfactory, untoward, unlucky, uncomfortable.    distressing; afflicting, afflictive; joyless, cheerless, comfortless; dismal, disheartening; depressing, depressive; dreary, melancholy, grievous, piteous; woeful, rueful, mournful, deplorable, pitiable, lamentable; sad, affecting, touching, pathetic.    irritating, provoking, stinging, annoying, aggravating, mortifying, galling; unaccommodating, invidious, vexatious; troublesome, tiresome, irksome, wearisome; plaguing, plaguy^†; awkward.    importunate; teasing, pestering, bothering, harassing, worrying, tormenting, carking.    intolerable, insufferable, insupportable; unbearable, unendurable; past bearing; not to be borne, not to be endured; more than flesh and blood can bear; enough to drive one mad, enough to provoke a saint, enough to make a parson swear, enough to gag a maggot.    shocking, terrific, grim, appalling, crushing; dreadful, fearful, frightful; thrilling, tremendous, dire; heart-breaking, heart-rending, heart-wounding, heart-corroding, heart-sickening; harrowing, rending.    odious, hateful, execrable, repulsive, repellent, abhorrent; horrid, horrible, horrific, horrifying; offensive.    nauseous, nauseating; disgusting, sickening, revolting; nasty; loathsome, loathful^†; fulsome; vile etc. (bad) 649; hideous etc. 846.    sharp, acute, sore, severe, grave, hard, harsh, cruel, biting, caustic; cutting, corroding, consuming, racking, excruciating, searching, grinding, grating, agonizing; envenomed; catheretic^†, pyrotic [Med.].    ruinous, disastrous, calamitous, tragical; desolating, withering; burdensome, onerous, oppressive; cumbrous, cumbersome.    ... show more

Making light of:
— To compliments inflated I've a withering reply.

synonyms: annihilating, devastating.