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

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

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

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

By the logic of pure procurement, AI bills should be shrinking. — Roman Shemet, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Mediation may yet come back into focus if oil markets panic and the price of crude returns above $100 on the back of shrinking reserves worldwide. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

The amount has been shrinking for two decades, and this year growers got 45% of what they are allotted. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

School closures have spiked 35 percent across the country over the past four years, propelled by a shrinking youth population and the end of covid-19 relief funds that had propped up education funding in some places. — Todd Wallack, Washington Post, 20 July 2026

PetaPixel found image quality deteriorating quickly at higher ISOs and concluded that being best in a shrinking category isn't the same as being great. — New Atlas, 20 July 2026

Dominican hospitality does not come from shrinking itself to make visitors comfortable. — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

My research has found that this pressure exists even in shrinking or small cities. — Laura Mullenbach, Fortune, 14 July 2026

Its current obligations are locked, the tax base is shrinking every year and the courts have eliminated a major lever that could quickly help close the gap. — Gregory Kearney, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

Phrases Containing shrinking

• shrinking violet