しぼむ

し

ぼ

む

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

しぼむ · godan verb (-mu)

Meanings

godan verb (-mu), intransitive verb

usually written using kana alone

Describes flowers, plants, or inflated things losing fullness; also used metaphorically for hopes, dreams, or enthusiasm fading.

〈物もの〉が萎しぼむfor a flower or plant to wilt/wither
朝あさ咲さいた花はなが夕ゆう方がたには萎しぼんでいた。
The flower that bloomed in the morning had wilted by evening.
風ふう船せんが萎しぼむfor a balloon to deflate
風ふう船せんが少すこしずつ萎しぼんでいった。
The balloon gradually deflated.
〈事こと〉が萎しぼむfor hopes, dreams, or enthusiasm to fade
彼かれの夢ゆめは現げん実じつの前まえに萎しぼんでしまった。
His dream shrank away in the face of reality.

しおれるN1
萎れる often describes a plant wilting with a visibly drooping, sad appearance, while 萎む focuses on losing fullness or volume, as in deflating.
枯かれるN3
枯れる means to wither and die completely, especially of plants, whereas 萎む just means to lose fullness or shrink without implying death.
萎なえる
萎む focuses on shrinking or deflating (like a balloon or flower losing shape), while 萎える emphasizes a loss of strength or firmness.

膨ふくらむN2
膨らむ means to swell or inflate, the direct opposite of 萎む, which means to deflate or lose fullness.
膨ふくれるN1
萎む means to shrink or deflate, the opposite of 膨れる's meaning of swelling or bulging outward.

縮ちぢむN3
縮む refers to a general reduction in size or length (like fabric shrinking), while 萎む specifically describes losing fullness or air, as in a wilting flower or deflating balloon.

しぼむUsage77%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 萎む is also common, while 凋む is rare.
萎しぼむUsage21%
Common kanji form, especially for literal withering.
凋しぼむUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the mimetic word しぼしぼ (shriveling) or the verb しぼる (to squeeze).