shrunken
Americanverb
-
a past participle of shrink.
adjective
-
contracted or lessened in size, extent, or scope.
Many state agencies are operating with a shrunken workforce.
verb
-
a past participle of shrink
adjective
-
(usually prenominal) reduced in size
a shrunken head
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.
Employment growth has been sluggish for a year, due less to weaker demand for workers than a shrunken supply as immigration dries up.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
Buffett liked the monopoly status of newspapers, which has been largely destroyed over the past 20 years, leaving the industry greatly shrunken and far less profitable.
From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026
With the addition of Frankie Garcia as lead singer, Bobby and the Classics renamed themselves the Headhunters after a shrunken head that Jaramillo hung on the rearview mirror of his ’49 Chevy.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 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
He was gone longer than he’d meant to be and he hurried his steps the best he could, the water swinging and gurgling in the shrunken swag of his gut.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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.