wrinkle

¹ American  

[ring-kuhl] / ˈrɪŋ kəl /

noun

1. a small furrow or crease in the skin, especially of the face, as from aging or frowning.

2. a temporary slight ridge or furrow on a surface, due to contraction, folding, crushing, or the like.

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verb (used with object)

wrinkled, wrinkling

1. to form wrinkles in; corrugate; crease.

   Don't wrinkle your dress.

verb (used without object)

wrinkled, wrinkling

1. to become wrinkled.

wrinkle ² American  

[ring-kuhl] / ˈrɪŋ kəl /

noun

Informal.

1. an ingenious trick or device; a clever innovation.

   a new advertising wrinkle.

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wrinkle ¹ British  

/ ˈrɪŋkəl /

noun

1. a slight ridge in the smoothness of a surface, such as a crease in the skin as a result of age

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verb

1. to make or become wrinkled, as by crumpling, creasing, or puckering

wrinkle ² British  

/ ˈrɪŋkəl /

noun

1. informal a clever or useful trick, hint, or dodge

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Other Word Forms

• wrinkleless
  adjective
• wrinkly
  adjective

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."

Example Sentences

"Wrinkle structures are really important pieces of evidence in the early evolution of life," says Martindale.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

Netflix website Tudum explains this name "came from the name of Mrs Whatsit from A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle's classic 1962 science fantasy novel", which Holly was reading in season five.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2025

“I used to make fun of that bar because it was full of older men, and we would call it ‘the Glass Coffin’ or ‘the Wrinkle Room,’ ” Cleve told me.

From Slate • May 22, 2024

I feel like everything I’ve done before, even shooting internationally for “A Wrinkle in Time,” which is a whole different discipline, prepared me for this film.

From New York Times • Jan. 16, 2024

“And, of course, Mrs. Simon with the crumpled copy of Time magazine was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle.”

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• crease
• crumple
• pucker
• rumple
• screw up
• scrunch