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
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
Are margins improving or shrinking?
—
Michael Shribman,
Forbes.com,
12 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
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
Cindy Rodriguez Constable,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Part of Exemplar’s plan to focus more on luxury involves shrinking its footprint, going from around 170 stores last year to just 49 now.
—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
30 June 2026
But these programs — known as home- and community-based services (or HCBS) — are under growing pressure from looming federal cuts, shrinking state budgets and heated political debates.
—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
And the hysteria over the centers seemed to be not as much about freedom, or competing educational philosophies, or politics at all, as about an ever-shrinking pot of money.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
30 June 2026
With losses shrinking but still in the billions, the stock is 88% below its debut price of $130.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
After the post-pandemic boom, job growth started to normalize but slowed further due to a combination of factors (among them a shrinking labor force as well as high uncertainty around major shifts in federal policy).
—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
California dunes are shrinking A new study shows California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes over the last 165 years, Daniella Segura reports.
—
Kristin Scharkey,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
In an economic forecast released last year, the Florida Chamber of Commerce projected that the state’s working-age population — adults between 18 and 64 — would decline between 2023 and 2025, shrinking the available workforce.
—
Sofia Baltodano
june 24,
Miami Herald,
24 June 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
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
Are margins improving or shrinking?
—
Michael Shribman,
Forbes.com,
12 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
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
Verb
Block cut more than 4,000 jobs in February, shrinking its workforce from over 10,000 to just under 6,000.
—
Cindy Rodriguez Constable,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2026
Part of Exemplar’s plan to focus more on luxury involves shrinking its footprint, going from around 170 stores last year to just 49 now.
—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
30 June 2026
But these programs — known as home- and community-based services (or HCBS) — are under growing pressure from looming federal cuts, shrinking state budgets and heated political debates.
—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
And the hysteria over the centers seemed to be not as much about freedom, or competing educational philosophies, or politics at all, as about an ever-shrinking pot of money.
—
Ann Manov,
Harpers Magazine,
30 June 2026
With losses shrinking but still in the billions, the stock is 88% below its debut price of $130.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
After the post-pandemic boom, job growth started to normalize but slowed further due to a combination of factors (among them a shrinking labor force as well as high uncertainty around major shifts in federal policy).
—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
California dunes are shrinking A new study shows California has lost more than half of its coastal sand dunes over the last 165 years, Daniella Segura reports.
—
Kristin Scharkey,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
In an economic forecast released last year, the Florida Chamber of Commerce projected that the state’s working-age population — adults between 18 and 64 — would decline between 2023 and 2025, shrinking the available workforce.
—
Sofia Baltodano
june 24,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrinking
Adjective
-
That's the part so many seem afraid to say out loud.
-
The people who worked for cooperatives were particularly afraid.
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.
-
Watching Jackie read her profoundly scary tale, my reaction moved from curiosity to revulsion to fear… not of her, but of Michael.
Noun
-
Many residents have fled the capital altogether, while those who remain face chronic insecurity and diminishing access to essential services, including water, sanitation, and medical care.
-
In that environment, the organizations and funders who keep operating as if every problem can be solved by a single grantee will deliver diminishing returns.
Verb
-
Commercial loan onboarding is in beta with City National, compressing a process that used to require months of manual document review into something agents can handle end-to-end.
-
The technology stores energy by compressing carbon dioxide using electricity from the grid and later expanding the gas through a turbine to generate power when needed.
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.
-
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.
Verb
-
Authors on the study found that COVID vaccines were roughly 55% effective in preventing hospitalizations associated with the illness and about 50% effective in decreasing trips to emergency rooms or urgent care facilities.
-
If one wanted to produce more offense by decreasing drag, mixing in some baseballs with lower seams wouldn’t hurt.
Adjective
-
Playing Mary Bennet — Elizabeth’s younger and more timid sister — Bruccoleri set out to portray the coming of age story of a Regency woman.
-
Don’t be timid; get the crust good and wet before proceeding.
Noun
-
Moreover, large mammals reuse significant shares of energy spent running, because a part of the kinetic and potential energy deployed to run is temporarily stored as elastic strain in muscles and tendons and redeployed as elastic recoil.
-
This assigned her music an unproven political heft, much to her (and associated brands’) profit, with potential for a nasty recoil.
Cite this Entry
“Shrinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrinking. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
