variants
or shrunken
1
as in compressed
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flinched
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
shrinking back from the approaching flames
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in decreased
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
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Recent Examples of shrunk
Since 2020, Cuba’s GDP has shrunk by 11%, while the value of the Cuban peso continues to fall.
—
Joseph J. Gonzalez, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Many tenants shrunk their workspaces coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning buildings that lost rental revenue also lost value.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Since 2020, Cuba’s GDP has shrunk by 11%, while the value of the Cuban peso continues to fall.
—Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Officials have touted how the number of homeless in Elk Grove has shrunk, with its 2024 Point-in-Time count finding 83 unsheltered people in the city.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
But the latest data show killings have fallen even as the LAPD has steadily shrunk and seen officers conduct fewer traffic stops and interactions with the public than in past years.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
This is especially true now that cake mix packages have shrunk.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
For companies who have shrunk their senior teams, this C-suite contraction has been driven by several factors.
—Sarah Abbott, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
But then, with victory in sight, his gearbox failed, and by the final lap his lead had shrunk to just four seconds.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2025
Joseph J. Gonzalez, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2026
Many tenants shrunk their workspaces coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning buildings that lost rental revenue also lost value.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Since 2020, Cuba’s GDP has shrunk by 11%, while the value of the Cuban peso continues to fall.
—Joseph J. Gonzalez, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Officials have touted how the number of homeless in Elk Grove has shrunk, with its 2024 Point-in-Time count finding 83 unsheltered people in the city.
—Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
But the latest data show killings have fallen even as the LAPD has steadily shrunk and seen officers conduct fewer traffic stops and interactions with the public than in past years.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
This is especially true now that cake mix packages have shrunk.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2026
For companies who have shrunk their senior teams, this C-suite contraction has been driven by several factors.
—Sarah Abbott, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
But then, with victory in sight, his gearbox failed, and by the final lap his lead had shrunk to just four seconds.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrunk
Verb
-
Las Vegas has compressed a short stretch of the Strip into a luxury gauntlet that’ll wreck your step count and your credit limit in the same afternoon.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Jan. 2026
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Right now, with silver at elevated levels, premiums have compressed somewhat as a percentage of total price compared to when silver was trading at $20 or $30 per ounce.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His comment shouldn’t be interpreted as a postgame shot at an overwhelmed Red Raiders offense and, everything considered, his vaunted defense’s performance hardly resembled a unit that flinched at the challenges.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Jan. 2026
-
That said, the Pioneers haven’t flinched this season without him.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
29 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While the short-term base rate decreased thanks to cuts from the Fed last year, analysts are widely expecting the base rate to decrease at a slower pace in the New Year.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
When eccentricity decreased, the climate shifted toward drier conditions.—
Stefanie Waldek,
Space.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Low oil prices stem from a glut of oil alongside relatively slow global economic growth, which has constricted demand for fossil fuels.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Despite a committed turn, Jack’s perspective is even more constricted than Anna’s.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Generations of scientists, perhaps all with Great Aunt Mildreds who recoiled at the noise, have looked into whether cracking truly bad for our joints or overall health.—
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall,
Popular Science,
7 Jan. 2026
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Football fans needed time to accommodate themselves to Patrick Mahomes’s sidearm throws, as did the baseball fans who at first recoiled from Hideo Nomo’s tornado windup.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
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What happens when these cues are greatly diminished or erased either by plastic surgery or other aesthetic interventions?—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
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The prestige of its domestic institutions, once a pillar of American hegemony, has diminished.—
Pratap Bhanu Mehta,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Since the mandate, neural tube defects have dramatically declined in almost every single ethnic population except for Latinos, according to Jaffery.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
January 12,
Sacbee.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Wiener declined to answer the question in either direction.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Specialized districts, from meatpacking to printing, didn’t disappear because demand vanished.—
Parin Moradiya,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Prices of basic goods like cooking oil and chicken dramatically spiked overnight, and some products vanished all together.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrunk. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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