SHRUNKEN Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

shrunk

verb

variants or shrunken

past participle of shrink

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

as in flinched

to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust shrinking back from the approaching flames

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 shrunk As cancer care becomes both more advanced and more specialized, options in rural areas have shrunk. —

Caleb Hellerman, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2026 Dallas Area Rapid Transit narrowly escaped a slate of six withdrawal elections that could have shrunk the public transportation system significantly this year, exposing challenges the agency faces in providing bus, train and other transit services over a sprawling region. —

Lilly Kersh, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026 Concessions in the 2010s froze wages and weakened health and retirement benefits, and the executive branch work force shrunk by 10%. —

Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026 The research and manufacturing infrastructure to close those gaps quickly doesn’t currently exist at the scale this moment requires, and the workforce to deploy them has shrunk. —

Ashish K. Jha, STAT, 25 Mar. 2026 The share of students with disabilities is growing Student bodies at most UW campuses have shrunk over the past decade, so the Journal Sentinel calculated the share of students with disabilities using enrollment data. —

Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 25 Mar. 2026 Overpayments logged in Hamilton County shrunk to approximately $99,400 from over $106,000 after being disputed by providers. —

Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 25 Mar. 2026 As the ranks of mental health care providers at the VA have shrunk, the department has proposed shifting billions of dollars into community care, a program in which veterans obtain health care via private physicians and other providers. —

Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026 In building the business and growing her team, her personal time has shrunk. —

Kiana Murden, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrunk

Verb

While the valuation has compressed meaningfully, the company’s weakening growth profile and persistent underperformance suggest the market may still be adjusting to a lower-quality earnings outlook.

— Tony Zhang, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026
During ejection, a moon’s orbit can become highly elongated, generating strong tidal forces as it is repeatedly stretched and compressed by its host planet.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 22 Mar. 2026