Definition of "withering" []

• Tending to overwhelm or destroy; devastating: withering sarcasm. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Called Faaafu, or _withering_, from the withering of the yam vine and other plants, which become coloured "like the shells.""
• "The venerable BBC -- Britain's state-funded television, radio and Internet media giant -- is set to sustain withering cuts of more than 16 percent of its budget, with even steeper reductions in government funding for the arts, including London museums and theaters."
• "He described the ceremony, which he felt rewarded box-office appeal over artistry, in withering terms:"