Synonyms of shrank

shrank

verb

variants or shrunk

past tense of shrink

1

as in compressed

to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter

the sweater will shrink a little when washed

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compressed
• decreased
• condensed
• collapsed
• constricted
• contracted
• flattened
• withdrew
• retreated
• diminished
• dwindled
• receded
• lessened
• shriveled
• withered
• dried up
• deflated
• abated
• wilted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• swelled
• expanded
• increased
• grew
• ballooned
• accumulated
• snowballed
• inflated
• puffed (up)
• ballooned

2

as in recoiled

to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust

shrinking back from the approaching flames

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recoiled
• flinched
• winced
• cringed
• shuddered
• trembled
• hesitated
• shook
• quailed
• blenched
• paled
• quivered
• retreated
• withdrew
• squinched
• blanched
• crouched
• receded
• quaked
• whitened
• faltered
• twitched
• jerked
• reeled
• wavered
• started
• retired

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approached
• advanced
• faced
• confronted
• neared
• challenged
• defied
• bearded

3

as in decreased

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually

his crush on her is likely to shrink after they start their new lives on different college campuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

• decreased
• fell
• diminished
• subsided
• eased
• declined
• vanished
• ebbed
• dwindled
• receded
• waned
• lessened
• lowered
• dropped (off)
• tapered
• relented
• weakened
• died (away or down or out)
• moderated
• palled
• drained (away)
• evaporated
• fell away
• tapered off
• abated
• remitted
• let up
• ratcheted (down)
• compressed
• phased down
• racheted (down)
• contracted
• de-escalated
• constricted
• slackened
• condensed
• collapsed
• alleviated
• faded (away)
• melted (away)
• slowed (down)
• sank
• relaxed
• petered (out)
• frittered (away)
• tailed (off)
• gave out
• flagged
• deflated
• caved (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increased
• grew
• rose
• built
• expanded
• swelled
• enlarged
• mounted
• intensified
• soared
• accumulated
• escalated
• appeared
• waxed
• picked up
• emerged
• ballooned
• mushroomed
• burgeoned
• snowballed
• showed up
• lengthened
• elongated
• distended
• blew up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shrank

As the Danube waters shrank in Bulgaria, researchers were thrilled to find and recover a jawbone, tusks, a shoulder blade, ribs and other bone fragments belonging to an extinct woolly mammoth buried deep in the sand. — CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

The value of the Public Investment Fund’s assets under management shrank $10 billion last year to around $900 billion, according to its 2025 annual report. — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Batteries drag down performance with extra weight, motors suffer mechanical wear and failure, and complex electronics simply break down when shrunk to microscopic scales. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026

Household loans, including mortgages, shrank in July after a brief recovery in June, according to CNBC’s calculation of official figures, amid soft housing activity and a weak labor market. — Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026

DeSantis’ mid-decade redistricting effort also shrunk the number of Democratic-leaning congressional seats in the state from eight to four, setting the stage for other heated congressional battles in South Florida in November. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026

That debt has not shrunk to match the smaller population now paying for it. — Lisa Nee, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026

That is the uncomfortable reading for the Western and Japanese incumbents still counting on combustion sales in China, whose presence in the top ten has shrunk to one aging gasoline sedan. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Google is keeping this distinctive design element, but the bar has shrunk considerably on the base model. — ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026