What does "wrinkle" mean?
A small furrow, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface.
Wrinkle
/ˈɹɪŋkl̩/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small furrow, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface.
- Grammar: wrinkle is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: crease, furrow, line, abbreviate.
- Useful contrasts: uncreased, evenness, flatiron.
- Usage evidence: Hang up your shirts before they wrinkle.
How to use "wrinkle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "wrinkle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "wrinkle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "wrinkle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "wrinkle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "wrinkle" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "crease" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "wrinkle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small furrow, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface.
- 2 A winkle US, dialectal
- 3 a clever method of doing something (especially something new and different) wordnet
- 4 A line or crease in the skin, especially when caused by age or fatigue.
"Spending time out in the sun may cause you to develop wrinkles sooner."
- 5 a minor difficulty wordnet
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A fault, imperfection or bug especially in a new system or product; typically, they will need to be ironed out.
"Three months later, we're still discovering new wrinkles."
- 7 a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface wordnet
- 8 A twist on something existing; a novel difference.
"There were now a grab bag of southern country-rock units with a new wrinkle—Black Oak Arkansas, for one, combined psychedelia, fifties rock, Hindu spiritualism, and gospel into “psycho-boogie,” or “raunch 'n' roll.”"
Verb
- 1 To make wrinkles in; to cause to have wrinkles. transitive
"Be careful not to wrinkle your dress before we arrive."
- 2 become wrinkled or crumpled or creased wordnet
- 3 To pucker or become uneven or irregular. intransitive
"An hour in the tub will cause your fingers to wrinkle."
- 4 make wrinkled or creased wordnet
- 5 To develop irreversibly wrinkles; to age. intransitive
"The skin is the substance that wrinkles, shows age, stretches, scars and cuts."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in; ‘crisp’ is archaic wordnet
- 7 To sneer (at). intransitive, obsolete
"Ther's some weakenes in your brother you wrinkle at"
- 8 gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"Hang up your shirts before they wrinkle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "wrinkle"?
Common synonyms include: crease, furrow, line, abbreviate, age, bezel.
How do you use "wrinkle" in a sentence?
Hang up your shirts before they wrinkle.
How do you pronounce "wrinkle"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɪŋkl̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English wrinkle, wrynkel (“crease, fold, wrinkle”), from the verb (see below). Cognate with Dutch wrinkel (“wrinkle, crease”). Compare also Middle English runkel (“wrinkle”), from Old Norse hrukka (“wrinkle”), from Proto-Germanic *hrunkǭ (“wrinkle, crease”), whence also French fronce (“crooked smile, scowl, frown”), German Runzel (“wrinkle”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English wrynklen, wrinklen (“to wrinkle”), from Old English *wrinclian (attested in past participle ġewrinclod (“wrinkled, crooked, winding”)). Cognate with Middle Dutch wronckelen, wrinckelen (“to wind, wrap, meander”), modern dialectal Dutch wrinkelen (“to wrinkle”). Compare also Middle English runklen (“to wrinkle, become wrinkled”).