shrunken

American  

[shruhng-kuhn] / ˈʃrʌŋ kən /

verb

1. a past participle of shrink.

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adjective

1. contracted or lessened in size, extent, or scope.

   Many state agencies are operating with a shrunken workforce.

shrunken British  

/ ˈʃrʌŋkən /

verb

1. a past participle of shrink

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adjective

1. (usually prenominal) reduced in size

   a shrunken head

Other Word Forms

• unshrunken adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrunken

First recorded before 1000, for the adjective

Example Sentences

Outside, freshly laid parking lots sit mostly empty while a single, shrunken shift of workers comes and goes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Employment growth has been sluggish for a year, due less to weaker demand for workers than a shrunken supply as immigration dries up.

From The Wall Street Journal

The small pile of potatoes we had picked so carefully seemed shrunken and the spots had spread and run into each other, leaving ridges of black.

From Literature

Buffett liked the monopoly status of newspapers, which has been largely destroyed over the past 20 years, leaving the industry greatly shrunken and far less profitable.

From Barron's

Andre punches the information into his phone and guides us to a building that looks like a shrunken medieval castle.

From Literature