as in afraid
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1
as in revulsion
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2
as in diminishing
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in recoiling
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
shrinking back from the approaching flames
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrinking
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Big Think, 20 Apr. 2026
That included shrinking who could query the 702 database and requiring sign-off from a superior before reviewing any information collected on Americans.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 15 Apr. 2026
Anything worse than another Rory round in the 60s would have resulted in his lead shrinking, and a wobbly Saturday was certain to shrink the gap further.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Use cold water to wash sheets made from delicate fabrics like silk or linen to prevent shrinking or damage.
—Nashia Baker, Martha Stewart, 8 Apr. 2026
For desperate countries in Asia the opportunity is short-lived and shrinking, said Muyu Xu, a senior crude oil analyst at the global trade data firm Kpler.
—Anton L. Delgado, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The shrinking world As birth rates fall, the shrinking of a nation’s population is often worrisome for political elites, who tend to see a large population as a source of power.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
For desperate countries in Asia the opportunity is short-lived and shrinking, said Muyu Xu, a senior crude oil analyst at the global trade data firm Kpler.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Advertisement The expansion of oil drilling has been made possible by the shrinking of sea ice, which is occurring fastest in the Barents Sea.
—Tom Yulsman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Perhaps most jarringly, people harmed by government neglect or corporate abuse often backed movements aimed at shrinking the government even further.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
But there are structural reasons, too, like Japan’s demographic decline and a shrinking working-age population.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Fed balance sheet Warsh is also likely to field questions at Tuesday's hearing about his support for shrinking the Federal Reserve's balance sheet, according to Wall Street analyst Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
And while the wearables business has been shrinking, the services unit is on a tear.
—Ari Levy,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
The association reports that inventory is shrinking, though, which will likely cause single-family home and condo prices to rise in the coming months.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Sometimes this shift is framed in quasi-Keynesian terms, with military spending positioned as an economic engine that fills jobs lost to a shrinking automotive sector.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
The team said this gap can become the true bottleneck in shrinking future chips, regardless of how strong the material’s intrinsic properties appear in lab tests.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 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
Internal gas molecules radiate heat away, enabling further shrinking.
—Big Think, 20 Apr. 2026
That included shrinking who could query the 702 database and requiring sign-off from a superior before reviewing any information collected on Americans.
—Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 15 Apr. 2026
Anything worse than another Rory round in the 60s would have resulted in his lead shrinking, and a wobbly Saturday was certain to shrink the gap further.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Use cold water to wash sheets made from delicate fabrics like silk or linen to prevent shrinking or damage.
—Nashia Baker, Martha Stewart, 8 Apr. 2026
For desperate countries in Asia the opportunity is short-lived and shrinking, said Muyu Xu, a senior crude oil analyst at the global trade data firm Kpler.
—Anton L. Delgado, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The shrinking world As birth rates fall, the shrinking of a nation’s population is often worrisome for political elites, who tend to see a large population as a source of power.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
For desperate countries in Asia the opportunity is short-lived and shrinking, said Muyu Xu, a senior crude oil analyst at the global trade data firm Kpler.
—ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
Advertisement The expansion of oil drilling has been made possible by the shrinking of sea ice, which is occurring fastest in the Barents Sea.
—Tom Yulsman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Limon’s research, his brother said, focuses on using generative AI to study Florida’s shrinking wetlands.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
Perhaps most jarringly, people harmed by government neglect or corporate abuse often backed movements aimed at shrinking the government even further.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
But there are structural reasons, too, like Japan’s demographic decline and a shrinking working-age population.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
Fed balance sheet Warsh is also likely to field questions at Tuesday's hearing about his support for shrinking the Federal Reserve's balance sheet, according to Wall Street analyst Adam Crisafulli of Vital Knowledge.
—Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
And while the wearables business has been shrinking, the services unit is on a tear.
—Ari Levy,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
The association reports that inventory is shrinking, though, which will likely cause single-family home and condo prices to rise in the coming months.
—Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2026
Sometimes this shift is framed in quasi-Keynesian terms, with military spending positioned as an economic engine that fills jobs lost to a shrinking automotive sector.
—Simon Denny, Artforum, 20 Apr. 2026
The team said this gap can become the true bottleneck in shrinking future chips, regardless of how strong the material’s intrinsic properties appear in lab tests.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrinking
Adjective
-
Maybe a lot of producers are Melissas, afraid of the present, looking toward a past that never really existed.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Miami is exceptionally good at finding role players , so don’t be afraid to trade a Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr, etc.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But now many of those same factions are expressing open revulsion at the Iran war, rupturing relationships that were supposed to usher in a new international order.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Dahl’s revulsion at the violence committed in Israel’s name is at once comprehensible, in and of itself, and rooted in Dahl’s set of antisemitic beliefs.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Arsenal had lost the game, and yet another chunk of their diminishing lead in the table.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Consolidation of power This diminishing of the role of the presidency and political legitimacy forms the background to any questions of succession now.—
Roxane Razavi,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In practice, this looks like development timelines compressing because approvals and feasibility checks move earlier.—
John Brearley,
Footwear News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Recognizing an opening, navigating unfamiliar terrain outside the tank, identifying a viable route to the ocean and then physically compressing through a drainpipe — that is not a simple reflex.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Then, as things dragged on, Goldberg could be seen recoiling and wincing in her chair — and, at one point, fully collapsing backward in protest.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Despite being a required vaccine in all states to attend public school, rates have been steadily decreasing over the last decade, CDC data shows.—
Arthur Jones II,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Monitoring showed that radionuclides such as cesium spread through coastal waters but became diluted and dispersed over time, with levels in most areas farther out in the ocean decreasing and remaining low and relatively stable after the initial release.—
Eduardo B. Farfán,
The Conversation,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And also the anticipatory obedience by a lot of these news organizations who are more timid.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a timid man who is swept off of his feet by Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome biker, who takes him on as his submissive.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Let evil recoil on those who slander Kendra; in your faithfulness destroy them.—
Chris Spargo,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The system includes an autoloader with manual backup and uses advanced recoil management.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrinking. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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