crinkly

American  

[kring-klee] / ˈkrɪŋ kli /

adjective

crinklier, crinkliest

1. having crinkles.

2. making a rustling noise.

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crinkly British  

/ ˈkrɪŋklɪ /

adjective

1. wrinkled; crinkled

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noun

1. slang an old person

Etymology

Origin of crinkly

First recorded in 1820–30; crinkle + -y ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crinkly crinklier

He briefly considers a bizarre woven tapestry featuring his brothers’ faces rendered in fabric before settling on a blue, crinkly tarp.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

Lay’s is redoing the bags too, ditching the crinkly sheen for a heavier, matte finish emblazoned with pictures of potatoes and chips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

Although I know plastic is a problem, something still feels friendly about the bright-colored toothpaste tube, the crinkly bag of pasta.

From Slate ● May 28, 2025

It's actually a painted veneer, presumably because there was not a piece of foil large enough, lest a run on crinkly silver lead to stale sarnies.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2025

That white crinkly paper underneath my body means that I literally can't shift a muscle without making the same noise as eating potato chips.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

The ferocious beauty has mellowed into a gentler, crinklier handsomeness.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 30, 2019

I left Arabella smiling triumphantly through her tears, but when I returned in the evening the breakfast-time frown had reappeared with even crinklier ramifications.

From Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, July 8, 1914 by Various

No," answered Henry, "but it's getting crinklier and crinklier and she looks pinker and pinker, and prettier and prettier, and you ought to see her in her new purple sweater.

From The Martial Adventures of Henry and Me by White, William Allen