1 Definition
Shriveled, dried up, and deeply wrinkled, especially from age or lack of moisture.
2 In Use
The wizened gardener ran a thumb over the last apples of autumn, each one shrunken and creased like a tiny winter face.
3 Word Origin
wisnian O.E. · to dry up → wisenen M.E. · to wither → wizened Early Modern English
Wizened began as a verb. English speakers used the Old English wisnian for things that dried up, withered, or lost their juice, and the idea survived through Middle English with only small changes in spelling. Over time the past participle took on a life of its own as a description, so that something already shrunken by time could simply be called wizened. The verb itself faded from everyday speech, leaving the adjective to carry the meaning on its own.
💡Fun Fact
Wizened is rarely used for things that are merely old. It is reserved for things that have visibly dried out and shrunk, which is why it suits raisins, forgotten apples, and the face of a very elderly person equally well. Writers love it because it works like a small portrait, packing texture, age, and a touch of toughness into a single word. Storytellers have long reached for it when describing hermits, wise old guides, and gnarled trees, so the word often arrives carrying a hint of hard-won wisdom as well as wrinkles.