What does shrivel mean?
Word: Shrivel
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Shrivel means to dry up and wrinkle, usually because of heat or a lack of water.
Synonyms: wither
Antonyms: flourish
How do you spell shrivel?
Syllables: shriv - el
Tricky part: The ending is the problem. It sounds like the end of bottle, so pupils write le, but this word finishes with el.
Watch out for: shrivle, shrivil, shrival
Memory tip: Plants do not travel well in a hot car: they shrivel. Let travel remind you how shrivel finishes.
Shrivel in a sentence
Example 1: Without water, the mint on our balcony will shrivel within a week.
Example 2: Raisins start life as juicy grapes that shrivel slowly in the sun.
Example 3: Even sturdy leaves shrivel when the hot summer wind blows across the desert.
Fun Fact
Dictionaries date shrivel to the mid 1500s, yet nobody is certain where it came from. A Scandinavian source is the usual guess.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
s_r_vel
a) h, u
b) h, i
c) c, i
d) h, e
Show answer
b) h, i. The word opens with shr, as shrub does, and the vowel that follows is the short i of ship.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
During our long summer trip to Jaisalmer, the basil plant on the kitchen windowsill began to shrivvel because nobody had remembered to ask the neighbours to water it.
a) shrivvel
b) neighbours
c) remembered
d) kitchen
Show answer
a) shrivvel. This verb has a single v in the middle.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is correct. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. shrivel 2. jerminate 3. hybernate 4. migerate
a) to move to another place as the seasons change
b) to begin to grow from a seed
c) to spend the winter in a deep sleep
d) to lose moisture until the surface creases
Show answer
d) to lose moisture until the surface creases. Shrivel is printed right; germinate wants a g, hibernate an i and migrate has no e.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word shrivel as used in the sentence:
Plums left in the fruit bowl began to shrivel during the hot holidays.
a) stiffen
b) swell
c) dwindle
d) shrink
Show answer
b) swell. Fruit that shrivels gets drier and more creased; fruit that swells grows fuller and rounder.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is most likely to shrivel?
a) a bunch of flowers left out of water for days
b) a smooth stone left in a garden for days
c) a steel spoon left in a drawer for days
d) a glass jar left on a shelf for days
Show answer
a) a bunch of flowers left out of water for days
2. A farmer notices the wheat beginning to shrivel. What is the likeliest cause?
a) a new well dug beside the crop
b) fresh compost spread over the field
c) a week of cool, gentle showers
d) a long spell with no rain
Show answer
d) a long spell with no rain
