wrinkle
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wrinkle¹
- /ˈɹɪŋkl̩/
Rhymes with -ɪŋkəl
Where it comes from
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 *hrunkwǭ (“wrinkle, crease”), whence also French fronce (“crooked smile, scowl, frown”), German Runzel (“wrinkle”), Danish rynke (“wrinkle”), Swedish rynka and rynkla (“wrinkle”).
noun wrinkles · wrincle
- A small furrow, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface.
- 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.
- A fault, imperfection or bug especially in a new system or product; typically, they will need to be ironed out. We need to iron out the wrinkles in the plan before implementing it.
- A twist on something existing; a novel difference. We've added a couple of new wrinkles to the policy.
wrinkle²
- /ˈɹɪŋkl̩/
Rhymes with -ɪŋkəl
Where it comes from
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”).
verb wrinkles · wrinkling · wrinkled
- To make wrinkles in; to cause to have wrinkles. Be careful not to wrinkle your dress before we arrive.
- To pucker or become uneven or irregular. An hour in the tub will cause your fingers to wrinkle.
- To develop irreversibly wrinkles; to age. The skin is the substance that wrinkles, shows age, stretches, scars and cuts.
- To sneer (at). Ther's some weakenes in your brother you wrinkle at
wrinkle³
- /ˈɹɪŋkl̩/
Rhymes with -ɪŋkəl
noun wrinkles
- A winkle
Wrinkle⁴
proper noun Wrinkles
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: crease, crumple, ruckle, rumple, crisp, crinkle, scrunch, purse, seam, furrow, line, scrunch up, ripple, ruck, rough, offend
Translations
Every language
noun furrow in a smooth surface
| Español | arruga f ruga, enruga, engurra |
|---|---|
| Português | ruga |
| Français | aspérité |
| Deutsch | Falte |
| Italiano | crepa, asperità, irregolarità |
| Ελληνικά | πτυχή ptychí, ζάρα zára |
| Русский | скла́дка skládka |
| العربية | جَعْدَة jaʕda |
noun line or crease in the skin
| Español | arruga, enruga |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 皺 shiwa |
| 中文 | 皺紋 /皱纹 zhòuwén |
| Português | ruga |
| Français | ride |
| Deutsch | Falte, Runzel |
| Italiano | ruga, grinza |
| Ελληνικά | ρυτίδα rytída, ζάρα zára |
| Русский | морщи́на morščína |
| Tiếng Việt | nếp nhăn |
| العربية | تَجَعُّد tajaʕʕud, جَعْدَة jaʕda |
noun fault, imperfection or bug
| Deutsch | Problem |
|---|---|
| Italiano | imperfezione |
| Ελληνικά | ζάρα zára |
verb to make wrinkles in; to cause to have wrinkles
| Español | arrugar, rugar, enrugar, engurrar, ajar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 주름지다 jureumjida |
| 日本語 | しわが寄る shiwa ga yoru, 皺ばむ shiwabamu |
| 中文 | 皺 /皱 zhòu |
| Português | enrugar, amassar |
| Français | froisser, rider, plisser |
| Deutsch | zerknittern, runzeln, verschrumpeln, schrumpeln |
| Italiano | raggrinzire, spiegazzare |
| Ελληνικά | ζαρώνω zaróno |
| Română | cuta, rida, încreți, zbârci, plisa |
| Русский | мять mjatʹ, смина́ть sminátʹ, смять smjatʹ |
verb to pucker or become uneven or irregular
| Español | rugarse, arrugarse |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | schrumpeln, verschrumpeln |
| Ελληνικά | ζαρώνω zaróno |
| Русский | мо́рщить mórščitʹ, смо́рщить smórščitʹ, мо́рщиться mórščitʹsja, смо́рщиться smórščitʹsja |
verb to develop irreversibly wrinkles; to age
| Español | rugar, arrugarse, ajarse |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | runzelig werden, altern |
Talk about this word "wrinkle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wrinkle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. wrinkle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wrinkle "wrinkle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wrinkle.Cite this
@misc{wrinkle_2026,
title = {wrinkle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wrinkle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
