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Synonyms

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.

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.
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

"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

verb

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

"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
wrinkle 2 British  
/ ˈrɪŋkəl /

noun

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

"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

  • 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; wrench ) + -le

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.

The service is another wrinkle in the ever-evolving relationship between Amazon and third-party shipping companies such as FedEx.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Immigration policy adds another wrinkle: Home healthcare, a sector heavily staffed by foreign-born women, could face a labor squeeze.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

But there’s a wrinkle in Nvidia’s latest claims: It comes with the help of a start-up called Groq, which makes specialty chips focused only on inference.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Today, scientists typically find wrinkle structures in shallow tidal environments where sunlight supports photosynthetic algae.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

Rishi waited for her to continue, a small wrinkle between his brows.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.