1
as in crumpled
to create (as by crushing) an irregular mass of creases in
scrunched up the shirt and tossed it in the laundry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scrunched
The beauty of a great lightweight puffer is that it can be worn as an insert or an overcoat, and it can even be tightly scrunched up into a tiny ball to be used as a makeshift travel pillow on the plane.
—
Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Unlike a typical golden, her dog sports an underbite and scrunched nose, giving her a uniquely charming expression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
Sheppard won’t have as scrunched a floor to run the offense.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
An image of his little face, scrunched in discomfort, but no sound coming from his little mouth, was instantly clear.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Michelle Tchea, Travel + Leisure, 7 Dec. 2025
Unlike a typical golden, her dog sports an underbite and scrunched nose, giving her a uniquely charming expression.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
Sheppard won’t have as scrunched a floor to run the offense.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
The cast scrunched out easily, leaving curls soft and natural-looking.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 30 Sep. 2025
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.
—Navdeep Singh Dhillon, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
An image of his little face, scrunched in discomfort, but no sound coming from his little mouth, was instantly clear.
—Zoë Jones, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2025
GloRilla tapped into a too-cool-for-school uniform aesthetic at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, styling plaid with black peep-toe platform shoes and scrunched white socks.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scrunched
Verb
-
Then, after Barnes had dragged Newcastle level and the home side had built up attacking pressure, Thiaw crumpled under a challenge from Calvert-Lewin inside his own box, stuck out an arm and handled Jaka Bijol’s nod-down.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The Nuggets were playing the Miami Heat when Jokic crumpled to the ground holding his knee at the tail end of the first half.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Bindi, who won season 21 of the reality dance show with partner Derek Hough, smiled with her arm around Robert, who crouched down next to his dancing partner, Witney Carson.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Rather than playing her violin on her shoulder, the violinist crouched on a rug with Belaji, facing the instrument toward the floor.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Except for that victory at the Etihad — Amad was in a position to cause such damage because Amorim played him in an unusual role infield, which City never got to grips with — those moments came when Amorim essentially tore up his system, went rogue, and United scraped their way over the line.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Hawk told investigators Cruz was upset with him because Hawk had scraped his vehicle, according to the probable cause statement.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
As Nelson spoke, Rubio took the note back and folded it up before tucking it away.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Knitted garments are best stored folded to prevent stretching.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, withheld their votes and huddled with Thune at the back of the chamber.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Senate Republicans huddled on Friday afternoon after Schumer’s floor speech but seemed to see no immediate path forward.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Carolina Panthers gritted out a 13-6 win over the New York Jets on the road thanks to a two-interception day from Jaycee Horn, a turnover-free performance from the offense and a close-to-flawless day on special teams.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The old, wrinkled one looks up at Helm’s mountain, at the sky above its summit.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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Best Amazon Prime Day Storage & Organization Deals Keep the closets neat, the drawers organized, the spices in alphabetical order, and the bedding from getting wrinkled with these genius storage and organization hacks.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two bills returned into Rafiq’s hand upon his pointing out that the wood panelling on the side of the radio was scratched and that the knob felt rather flimsy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Her feet were red and bruised, her face and neck were scratched and bruises that appeared to be finger imprints were visible on her neck, the affidavit says.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scrunched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scrunched. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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