wrinkle
1 Americannoun
-
a small furrow or crease in the skin, especially of the face, as from aging or frowning.
-
a temporary slight ridge or furrow on a surface, due to contraction, folding, crushing, or the like.
verb (used with object)
-
wrinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wrinkled,
past participle, past
-
wrinkling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
wrinkles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
wrinkled,
past participle, past
-
wrinkling
present participle
noun
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
wrinklesimple
-
wrinklessimple
-
have wrinkledperfect
-
has wrinkledperfect
-
am wrinklingprogressive
-
are wrinklingprogressive
-
is wrinklingprogressive
-
have been wrinklingperfect progressive
-
has been wrinklingperfect progressive
Past
-
wrinkledsimple
-
had wrinkledperfect
-
was wrinklingprogressive
-
were wrinklingprogressive
-
had been wrinklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wrinkle1
1375–1425; late Middle English (noun), back formation from wrinkled, Old English gewrinclod, past participle of gewrinclian to wind round; perhaps akin to wrick, wrench
Origin of wrinkle2
1375–1425; late Middle English, equivalent to wrinc trick ( Old English wrenc; see wrench) + -le
Explanation
If you work to iron a stubborn wrinkle out of your shirt, you're trying to smooth out a crease. A wrinkle is a dent or line where that smoothness is interrupted. You might fret about a wrinkle in your skirt or a new wrinkle on your face. Another kind of wrinkle is more figurative: a small complication or problem that arises suddenly. You could describe a torrential rain storm as a wrinkle in your plan to film a sunny scene in your movie, for example. The Old English root is gewrinclod, "wrinkled, crooked, or winding," and it comes from the verb wrinclian, "to wind."
Vocabulary lists containing wrinkle
"The Forgotten Treasure" and "There Is No Word for Goodbye"
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 13–October 19, 2024
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"Young"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It was an intriguing prospect, partly because she’d never made a full-length LP in this vein, and contributions from critically respected post-punk New York revivalists Model/Actriz added another potentially exciting wrinkle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
A huge wrinkle is that larger cities and metro areas benefit from economies of scale that help insulate them: they can afford dedicated OT security staff and redundant control systems.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Though they probably will have only four starting spots to fill in the postseason — and Yamamoto, Skubal, Snell and Glasnow can be penciled in when healthy — Ohtani’s build-up adds an interesting wrinkle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
I am now carrying a gorgeous straw tote and wearing linen that has somehow survived public transit without acquiring a wrinkle.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
An added wrinkle had to do with the Church.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
While the accounts aren’t new, now is an opportune time to revisit their rules and wrinkles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The lyric is built almost entirely from humble, monosyllabic words: a warm smile, a soft cheek, a laugh that wrinkles the nose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
That gives AbbVie recurring exposure to aging consumers trying to address wrinkles and facial-volume loss — without making aesthetics the entire investment thesis.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
But this was a preseason game, a time to work out the many wrinkles, and the Chargers have more than three weeks before they open the regular season at home against Arizona.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
I even move Pierre back to the kitchen when Emma wrinkles her nose at the smell.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Occasionally, however, conditions allowed the mats and their wrinkled textures to be buried and preserved for millions of years.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026
With his high and deeply wrinkled brow and perpetually downturned mouth, Greenspan appeared morose, but he could be quite funny and was popular on the Washington social scene.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
But based on the success of the streaming series “The Mandalorian,” set around the title bounty hunter, we can all agree that his charge Grogu — green, wrinkled, big-eyed Baby You-Know-Who — is still adorable.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
He asked them to bring their “tools” — broom, stethoscope, an oxygen tank—and posed them against a lightly wrinkled cloth backdrop with natural light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
She watched her dad and Mira together, his thick head of dark hair bent close to her wispy white curls, his young but weathered face and her old, wrinkled one carrying matching lively expressions.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
“I think it belittles memory,” she says, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the still-standing house.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Those affected often develop early skin wrinkling, loss of skin elasticity, reduced body fat, hair loss, hardened arteries, and insulin resistance.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2025
But when I met him on the banks of the River Coln just outside Fairford, he was wrinkling his nose.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2024
His wrinkling lips were as expressive as many actors’ eyes.
From New York Times ● Oct. 17, 2022
“It smells like onions in here,” Janie said, wrinkling her nose.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
