desiccated
adjective
des·ic·cat·ed
ˈde-si-ˌkā-təd 
1
: dried up
a desiccated landscape
: preserved by drying
a cup of desiccated coconut
… all around were barrels of dried apples and apricots, shriveled and desiccated …—
Margaret Laurence
Margaret Laurence… when visitors come to the lab he likes to show them his collection of curiosities, which includes a desiccated octopus.—Elizabeth Kolbert
Elizabeth Kolbert2
: drained of emotional or intellectual vigor or vitality
Singer's utilitarianism is so dry and desiccated that it drains the drama from philosophy.—George Will
George WillExamples of desiccated in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Depending on temperature, the eggs hatch within one to 10 days, becoming teeny, wormlike larvae that feed on desiccated blood that the adult fleas have fed on and pooped out.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
23 June 2026
Deep in desiccated Southern groves, the powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal, unrelenting decline.
—
Cate Martel,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
Her flesh is desiccated and gray, her hands and feet are jagged claws, and her breath comes out in rasps.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
In 1968, Apollo 8’s Bill Anders made photographic history with his famous earthrise image—a picture of the living earth rising over the desiccated moon, which is credited with helping to inspire the environmental movement.
—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
2 Apr. 2026
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Arricca Elin Sansone,
Southern Living,
23 June 2026
Deep in desiccated Southern groves, the powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal, unrelenting decline.
—
Cate Martel,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2026
Her flesh is desiccated and gray, her hands and feet are jagged claws, and her breath comes out in rasps.
—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
In 1968, Apollo 8’s Bill Anders made photographic history with his famous earthrise image—a picture of the living earth rising over the desiccated moon, which is credited with helping to inspire the environmental movement.
—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desiccated
Cite this Entry
“Desiccated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desiccated. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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