Definition of "shrivel" [shriv•el]

• To become or make shrunken and wrinkled, often by drying: Leaves die, fall, and shrivel. The heat shriveled the unwatered seedlings. (verb-transitive)
• To lose or cause to lose vitality or intensity: My enthusiasm shriveled as the project wore on. Inflation shriveled the buying power of the dollar. (verb-transitive)
• To become or make much less or smaller; dwindle. (verb-transitive)

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.

• "Okay, why did my brain shrivel to the size and consistency of a pea after two kids and you just had a baby and show no signs of “baby brain” at all."
• "But consider yourself lucky: if I were really to blog about our sex life you KNOW that your testicles would shrivel from the embarassment."
• "He even used "going forward," a term to shrivel the heart of anyone toiling at a corporation that values meaningless management-talk."