shrunken

American

[shruhng-kuhn] / ˈʃrʌŋ kən /

verb

a past participle of shrink.

adjective

contracted or lessened in size, extent, or scope.

Many state agencies are operating with a shrunken workforce.

shrunken British

/ ˈʃrʌŋkən /

verb

a past participle of shrink

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

(usually prenominal) reduced in size

a shrunken head

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unshrunken

adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrunken

First recorded before 1000, for the adjective

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:

shrunken

According to De la Vega, she finds the shrunken books more approachable.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

The reel was shrunken through age and frayed, but otherwise in remarkable condition for something stashed in sun-heated attics for years.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026

On top of a degraded infrastructure, it would have to contend with a shrunken military and new threats such as drones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

The individual beans, which resemble shrunken dates due to their wrinkly dark exterior, can also be microplaned to create a fine powder, according to a guide from Great British Chefs.

From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025

Frail, shrunken, wizened, and blind, it was hard to imagipe him as a little boy no older than Arya.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023