1.
to wilt; to droop
When plants or flowers lose their freshness and become limp, often due to lack of water.
暑さで花が萎れてしまった。
The flowers wilted from the heat.
水をやったら萎れた葉が元気になった。
After watering, the wilted leaves perked up.
買ってきたレタスが冷蔵庫の中で萎れていた。
The lettuce I bought had gone limp in the refrigerator.
2.
to be dejected; to be dispirited
Figuratively, when a person loses energy or becomes depressed.
失敗して彼は萎れている。
He's dejected after the failure.
叱られて子供たちは萎れていた。
The children were dispirited after being scolded.
試合に負けて、さっきまで元気だったチームが萎れてしまった。
After losing the match, the team that had been so energetic became completely dejected.
萎れる is an intransitive verb (自動詞). There is no common transitive pair.
ASPECT ({ている}):
萎れている indicates an ongoing or resulting state of being wilted or dejected.
萎れる VS 枯れる:
- 萎れる describes a temporary, often reversible state of drooping or wilting
- 枯れる describes permanent death or drying up of plants
- A flower that 萎れる may recover with water, but one that 枯れる is dead
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 花が萎れる - flowers wilt
- 野菜が萎れる - vegetables go limp
- 気持ちが萎れる - spirits droop
FIGURATIVE USE:
When used for people, 萎れる describes a deflated, dejected emotional state, similar to a wilting plant.