as in afraid
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in revulsion
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in diminishing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in compressing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in recoiling
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
shrinking back from the approaching flames
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in decreasing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shrinking
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
In recent years, batted balls have carried much better in the East Village, and the shrinking of right field in 2012 has resulted in drives like Schwarber’s on Monday becoming home runs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Beyond transistor shrinking The semiconductor industry has long relied on Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip doubles roughly every two years.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026
The process of shrinking was different among the groups, with some dinosaurs reducing the size of the fingers first, while others prioritized shortening the forearm.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
State economists have previously suggested the rise in unemployment isn’t simply about people losing their jobs, but about new entrants to the workforce taking longer to find work, while more people are retiring, leading to a shrinking of the overall labor pool.
—News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026
The logical result is a shrinking of entry-level roles—the positions whose responsibilities are the first to get automated.
—Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
More acute episodes of shrinking have been documented since 2000.
—Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Choose cleaning methods based on fabric type to avoid damage or shrinking.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 29 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 3 June 2026
Africa’s bargaining power is rising just as its fiscal space is shrinking.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 3 June 2026
The world of electronics has been shrinking and will continue to do so in the years to come.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
But the governor, a fiscal moderate who’s been wary about using state dollars to bolster shrinking federal human service programs, maintained a noncommittal stance he’s held since February.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
In the era of shrinking airline seats and oversold flights, eking out even an extra inch of space in an ultra-crammed economy cabin can feel like a major win.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
The reasons to avoid this stock — Quantinuum’s high valuation, shrinking revenue, concentrated customer base and huge losses — are more compelling than the reasons to buy — the company’s technical leadership and financial backing from Honeywell.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The species also clings to a handful of shrinking water sources along its namesake river in northern Mexico.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Habitat loss, widespread chemical use, and shrinking forage caused wild pollinator populations to plummet.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Adjective
Re-wash and dry the garment, using these tips to avoid re-shrinking, to prevent a residue from the conditioner from setting.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
Notably, there was a 1% increase in students aged 18 to 24 — the shrinking, traditional college-going age.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
In recent years, batted balls have carried much better in the East Village, and the shrinking of right field in 2012 has resulted in drives like Schwarber’s on Monday becoming home runs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Beyond transistor shrinking The semiconductor industry has long relied on Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip doubles roughly every two years.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026
The process of shrinking was different among the groups, with some dinosaurs reducing the size of the fingers first, while others prioritized shortening the forearm.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
State economists have previously suggested the rise in unemployment isn’t simply about people losing their jobs, but about new entrants to the workforce taking longer to find work, while more people are retiring, leading to a shrinking of the overall labor pool.
—News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026
The logical result is a shrinking of entry-level roles—the positions whose responsibilities are the first to get automated.
—Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
More acute episodes of shrinking have been documented since 2000.
—Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Choose cleaning methods based on fabric type to avoid damage or shrinking.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
But he was quickly stopped by police, in the latest sign of the city's shrinking freedom of expression.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
Africa’s bargaining power is rising just as its fiscal space is shrinking.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 3 June 2026
The world of electronics has been shrinking and will continue to do so in the years to come.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
But the governor, a fiscal moderate who’s been wary about using state dollars to bolster shrinking federal human service programs, maintained a noncommittal stance he’s held since February.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026
In the era of shrinking airline seats and oversold flights, eking out even an extra inch of space in an ultra-crammed economy cabin can feel like a major win.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
The reasons to avoid this stock — Quantinuum’s high valuation, shrinking revenue, concentrated customer base and huge losses — are more compelling than the reasons to buy — the company’s technical leadership and financial backing from Honeywell.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The species also clings to a handful of shrinking water sources along its namesake river in northern Mexico.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
Habitat loss, widespread chemical use, and shrinking forage caused wild pollinator populations to plummet.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrinking
Adjective
-
Unlike the coolly impassive Pop artists, the Who weren’t afraid to get personal, or to let their art echo the anxious, kinky, maladjusted yammering in their own heads.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, aggressive immigration enforcement has made some people afraid to seek care at all, worsening public health outcomes.—
Daniela Flores,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The deepest reason for this near-universal futility is that most of us remain imprisoned by the delusions of the ego, suffering from alternating cravings and revulsions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Watching Jackie read her profoundly scary tale, my reaction moved from curiosity to revulsion to fear… not of her, but of Michael.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
There is a limit to how many employees a company can lay off before seeing diminishing returns.—
David Trainer,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Others point to their own skills diminishing.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The technology can help with due diligence and integration, compressing what was once a long process into one that customers might not notice.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
In the new Hubble image, some of the gas on the outer edge of M88 can be seen compressing and piling up.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
This is typical of Hacks, a series that constantly positions itself to do something emotionally dangerous before recoiling toward a safer version of it.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
Coinbase’s effort, filled with little nuances and created to emulate the experience of a videogame, might have people welcoming another look rather than recoiling at seeing the spot for the 15th time in a period of just a few days.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Over time, the theory goes, this will disrupt the reproduction cycle, thereby increasing competition and decreasing the overall population.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
4 June 2026
-
Following the trade, Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust will own 360 shares of DOV, decreasing its weighting in the portfolio to about 2% from 3%.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Chances of Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire were timid when the markets first opened on Kalshi.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
Your favorite team probably doesn’t use them much, if at all, because they’re considered extremely difficult and most GMs are timid babies who are afraid of getting yelled at.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
But even as some people recoil from the kinds of characters that have dominated the screen for two decades, Corddry has leaned in.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2026
-
Core elements of the artillery platform – including the barrel, breech, recoil system and trunnions – will be manufactured at Rheinmetall’s large-calibre production site in Telford.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrinking. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
