Synonyms of shrinking

shrinking 1 of 3

adjective

as in afraid

Related Words

• afraid
• timid
• frightened
• scared
• terrified
• alarmed
• timorous
• tremulous
• worried
• aghast
• spooked
• panicked
• perturbed
• upset
• chicken
• fearsome
• horrified
• panicky
• fainthearted
• disquieted
• disturbed
• agitated
• fearful
• scary
• terrorized
• apprehensive
• tremulant
• hysterical
• affrighted
• disconcerted
• shocked
• phobic
• jittery
• horror-struck
• shy
• anxious
• nervous
• jumpy
• funky
• panic-stricken
• skittish
• cowed
• startled
• uneasy
• dismayed
• intimidated
• appalled
• wary
• daunted
• unnerved
• pusillanimous
• craven
• cautious
• cowardly
• coward
• careful
• gutless
• heedful
• unadventurous
• prudent
• lily-livered

Dissimilar Words

• fearless
• unafraid
• daring
• dashing
• plucky
• bold
• adventurous
• brave
• spirited
• venturesome
• composed
• heroic
• hardy
• audacious
• valiant
• stalwart
• spunky
• collected
• courageous
• gutsy
• unperturbed
• intrepid
• gallant
• sure
• stout
• confident
• sanguine
• cool
• daredevil
• valorous
• adventuresome
• assured
• venturous
• resolute
• undaunted
• manful
• dauntless
• lionhearted
• stouthearted

shrinking

2 of 3

noun

1

as in revulsion

Related Words

• revulsion
• recoil
• withdrawal
• retirement
• disengagement
• rout
• flinch
• recession
• retreat
• pullout
• pullback
• disentanglement

Dissimilar Words

• advance
• advancement

2

as in diminishing

Related Words

• diminishing
• reducing
• decreasing
• shortening
• contraction
• compression
• lessening
• curtailment
• abbreviation
• abridgment
• condensation
• abruptness
• shortness
• brusqueness
• curtness
• tautness
• crispness
• brevity
• succinctness
• terseness
• conciseness
• smallness
• briefness
• compendiousness
• laconism
• minuteness
• pithiness
• tininess
• littleness

Dissimilar Words

• stretching
• extending
• growth
• extension
• elongation
• expansion
• extensiveness
• elongating
• lengthiness
• prolongation
• prolonging
• spread
• protraction
• diffuseness
• bigness
• greatness
• prolixity
• volubility
• garrulousness
• largeness
• talkativeness
• bulkiness
• wordiness
• verboseness
• talkiness
• long-windedness
• heftiness

shrinking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of shrink

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

• compressing
• decreasing
• condensing
• constricting
• collapsing
• contracting
• flattening
• diminishing
• retreating
• dwindling
• withdrawing
• shriveling
• receding
• lessening
• drying up
• withering
• deflating
• wilting
• abating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expanding
• swelling
• increasing
• growing
• accumulating
• ballooning
• snowballing
• inflating
• puffing (up)
• ballooning

2

as in recoiling

to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust

shrinking back from the approaching flames

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recoiling
• flinching
• wincing
• cringing
• shuddering
• trembling
• hesitating
• blenching
• quivering
• quailing
• shaking
• retreating
• squinching
• quaking
• blanching
• withdrawing
• receding
• whitening
• crouching
• faltering
• paling
• twitching
• retiring
• jerking
• starting
• wavering
• reeling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• approaching
• advancing
• nearing
• facing
• confronting
• challenging
• defying
• bearding

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

• decreasing
• diminishing
• subsiding
• declining
• falling
• vanishing
• easing
• dwindling
• ebbing
• receding
• waning
• tapering
• moderating
• lessening
• lowering
• weakening
• evaporating
• dropping (off)
• dying (away or down or out)
• draining (away)
• falling away
• tapering off
• relenting
• ratcheting (down)
• remitting
• abating
• collapsing
• compressing
• racheting (down)
• palling
• letting up
• phasing down
• contracting
• constricting
• de-escalating
• condensing
• melting (away)
• alleviating
• slackening
• fading (away)
• slowing (down)
• relaxing
• frittering (away)
• tailing (off)
• petering (out)
• giving out
• sinking
• flagging
• deflating
• caving (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increasing
• growing
• expanding
• rising
• building
• swelling
• enlarging
• mounting
• intensifying
• accumulating
• burgeoning
• escalating
• soaring
• emerging
• appearing
• picking up
• mushrooming
• ballooning
• waxing
• snowballing
• lengthening
• showing up
• blowing up
• elongating
• distending

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shrinking

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

The political appetite for accepting the deindustrialization and critical dependencies that come with the flood of Chinese imports is finite and shrinking. — Michael B. G. Froman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2026

Summary China's auto market is rapidly electrifying and shrinking, fueling an intense price war that's polarizing sales. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, said the shrinking of the industry has amplified the consequences when contamination occurs. — Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 27 July 2026

Air-drying your compression socks can help them last longer and reduce shrinking or damage to fibers. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 9 July 2026

With supply shrinking, the states continue squabbling. — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Neither the state’s funding woes nor the shrinking of the federal workforce are expected to impact firefighting ability. — Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026

But the childcare system that supports them is fragile, expensive and shrinking. — Andrea Steffes-Tuttle, Denver Post, 12 June 2026

The shrinking ranks particularly affected the Bay Area in California. — Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 10 June 2026

Verb

If internal fluid pressure drops during aggressive extraction, the surrounding earth squeezes the cavern inward, permanently shrinking total storage capacity and crushing steel well casings. — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

That Toll Brothers vote encapsulated south Folsom’s shrinking oak woodland. — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Flames are not the only threat Drought has also helped to lay the past bare by shrinking rivers and lakes to reveal old weapons. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Yet the treatment was shrinking the tumors, so Kalver kept pushing through. — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 24 Aug. 2026

Summary The market for affordable vehicles is shrinking dramatically. — Jim Gorzelany, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The plan is the latest stage in the quest to divvy up the shrinking water of the Colorado River. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

Unlike American sports, where franchises are locked into profitable leagues, there will always be the threat of relegation and shrinking revenues that trouble those considering entry into the English game. — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

The most significant signal from the baijiu company’s latest financial report is that the value of Moutai in business negotiations is shrinking, said Dongfang Li, an independent stock analyst. — Evelyn Cheng,jenny Lee, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing shrinking

• shrinking violet