wrinkle

See also: Wrinkle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪŋkl̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋkəl
• Hyphenation: wrink‧le

Etymology 1

Probably from stem of Old English gewrinclod.

Alternative forms

• wrincle (obsolete)

Noun

wrinkle (plural wrinkles)

1. A small furrow, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface.
3. A line or crease in the skin, especially when caused by age or fatigue.

   Spending time out in the sun may cause you to develop wrinkles sooner.

4. A fault, imperfection or bug especially in a new system or product; typically, they will need to be ironed out.

   Three months later, we're still discovering new wrinkles.

5. A twist on something existing; a novel difference.
   • 2015, Mark Ribowsky, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars:

     There were now a grab bag of southern country-rock units with a new wrinkle—Black Oak Arkansas, for one, combined psychedelia, fifties rock, Hindu spiritualism, and gospel into “psycho-boogie,” or “raunch 'n' roll.”

Translations

furrow in a smooth surface

• Arabic: جَعْدَة f (jaʕda)
• Azerbaijani: qırış (az), büküm (az)
• Bulgarian: гъ́нка (bg) f (gǎ́nka)
• Catalan: arruga (ca) f, solc (ca) m, clivella (ca) f
• Danish: krølle
• Finnish: ryppy (fi), juonne
• French: aspérité (fr) f
• Galician: engurra f, brecadura f, ruga (gl) f, arregaño m, saragulla f
• German: Falte (de) f
• Greek: πτυχή (el) f (ptychí), ζάρα (el) f (zára)
• Hungarian: egyenetlenség (hu), gyűrődés (hu)
• Italian: crepa (it) f, asperità (it) f, irregolarità (it) f
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: چرج (çirc)

• Latin: rūga f
• Malayalam: ചുളുക്ക് (ml) (cuḷukkŭ), ചുളിവ് (ml) (cuḷivŭ)
• Manx: craplag f
• Maori: hākorukoru, kurehe
• Persian: آژنگ (fa) (âžang)
• Polish: zmarszczka (pl) f
• Portuguese: ruga (pt) f
• Russian: скла́дка (ru) f (skládka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: на́бор m

  Roman: nábor (sh) m

• Slovak: záhyb
• Spanish: arruga (es) f, aspereza (es) f
• Swedish: skrynkla (sv) c
• Turkish: kırışıklık (tr)
• Welsh: crych (cy) m, tolc m or f
• Zazaki: çırç

line or crease in the skin

• Abkhaz: акҷыра (akʼčʼəra)
• Adyghe: зэлъа (zɛlˢa)
• Afrikaans: plooi (af), rimpel
• Aklanon: please add this translation if you can
• Albanian: rrudhë (sq) f
• Arabic: تَجَعُّد m (tajaʕʕud), جَعْدَة f (jaʕda)

  Egyptian Arabic: تجاعيد f pl (tagaʕiid), رينكلز f pl (renkelz)

• Armenian: կնճիռ (hy) (knčiṙ)
• Azerbaijani: qırış (az), qırışıq, büküm (az)
• Belarusian: маршчы́на f (marščýna)
• Bulgarian: бръ́чка (bg) f (brǎ́čka)
• Catalan: arruga (ca) f
• Chamicuro: ishama che'na'ti
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 皺紋／皱纹 (zau³ man⁴)

  Hokkien: 皺痕／皱痕 (jiâu-hûn, liâu-hûn)

  Mandarin: 皺紋／皱纹 (zh) (zhòuwén)

• Coptic: ϣⲱⲣϣ m (šōrš), ⲭⲱⲣϣ m (khōrš)
• Czech: vráska (cs) f
• Danish: rynke (da) c
• Dutch: rimpel (nl) m
• Esperanto: falto (eo), haŭtsulketo
• Estonian: korts, kortsud pl
• Faroese: rukka f
• Finnish: ryppy (fi)
• French: ride (fr) f
• Galician: engurra f, ruga (gl) f, saragulla f, engurrifa f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Falte (de) f, Runzel (de) f
• Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌻 n (mail)
• Greek: ρυτίδα (el) f (rytída), ζάρα (el) f (zára)

  Ancient: ῥυτίς f (rhutís), φαρκίς f (pharkís)

• Hungarian: ránc (hu), redő (hu), barázda (hu)
• Icelandic: hrukka (is) f, korpa f (regional)
• Italian: ruga (it) f, grinza (it) f
• Japanese: 皺 (ja) (しわ, shiwa)
• Khmer: ស្នាមជ្រីវជ្រូញ (snaamcriiwcruuñ)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: qermîçok (ku) f

• Latin: rūga f
• Macedonian: брчка f (brčka)
• Malayalam: ചുളിവ് (ml) (cuḷivŭ), ചുളുക്ക് (ml) (cuḷukkŭ)
• Maori: rehe, rehenga, ngene, hākorukoru
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: rynke (no)
• Ottoman Turkish: آژنگ (ajeng)
• Persian: چروک (fa) (čoruk)
• Polish: zmarszczka (pl) f
• Portuguese: ruga (pt) f
• Russian: морщи́на (ru) f (morščína)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бо́ра f

  Roman: bóra (sh) f

• Slovak: vráska
• Slovene: guba (sl) f
• Southern Altai: чырыш (čïrïš)
• Spanish: arruga (es) f
• Swedish: rynka (sv) c
• Tagalog: kulubot
• Thai: ริ้วรอย (ríu-rɔɔi), รอยย่น
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: buruşukluk (tr), kırışıklık (tr)
• Ukrainian: змо́ршка f (zmórška)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: crych (cy) m
• Yámana: please add this translation if you can
• Zazaki: çermıqyayış
• Zhuang: nyaeuq
• Zulu: please add this translation if you can

fault, imperfection or bug

• Catalan: imperfecció f, defecte (ca) f, tara (ca) f
• Esperanto: difekteto
• Finnish: vika (fi), virhe (fi), bugi (fi), lastentauti (fi)
• Galician: aquela f, fozallada f, eiva (gl) f, chafaldrada f
• German: (small) Problem (de) n
• Greek: ζάρα (el) f (zára)
• Italian: imperfezione (it) f
• Spanish: imperfección (es) f
• Turkish: küçük problem (tr), küçük sorun (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Irish: ^{(please verify)} furca m
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} rid (ro) m, ^{(please verify)} zbârcitură (ro) f, ^{(please verify)} incretitură f
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ముడుతలు (muḍutalu)

Verb

wrinkle (third-person singular simple present wrinkles, present participle wrinkling, simple past and past participle wrinkled)

1. (transitive) To make wrinkles in; to cause to have wrinkles.

   Be careful not to wrinkle your dress before we arrive.

   • 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto:

     her wrinkled form in black and white array'd

2. (intransitive) To pucker or become uneven or irregular.

   An hour in the tub will cause your fingers to wrinkle.

3. (intransitive, of skin) To develop irreversibly wrinkles; to age.

   The skin is the substance that wrinkles, shows age, stretches, scars and cuts.

4. (intransitive, obsolete) To sneer (at).
   • 1604 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], Parasitaster, or The Fawne, […], London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for W[illiam] C[otton], published 1606, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     Ther's some weakenes in your brother you wrinkle at

Related terms

• unwrinkled
• wrinkle-free
• wrinkly

Translations

to make wrinkles in; to cause to have wrinkles

• Azerbaijani: əzmək (az)
• Bulgarian: смачквам (bg) (smačkvam)
• Catalan: arrugar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 皺／皱 (zh) (zhòu)

• Danish: krølle
• Dutch: kreuken (nl)
• Esperanto: faltigi
• Finnish: rypistää, kurtistaa (fi)
• French: froisser (fr), rider (fr), plisser (fr)
• Galician: engurrar (gl), amorfallar, marlotar, enxovallar, carruzar, avincar, engruñar (gl), estrochar
• Gallurese: aggruciuppí
• German: zerknittern (de), runzeln (de), verschrumpeln (de), schrumpeln (de)
• Greek: ζαρώνω (el) (zaróno)
• Hungarian: ráncol (hu)
• Icelandic: krumpa (is)
• Ingrian: murjata
• Italian: raggrinzire (it), spiegazzare (it)
• Japanese: しわが寄る (しわがよる, shiwa ga yoru) (intransitive), 皺ばむ (しわばむ, shiwabamu)
• Korean: 주름지다 (jureumjida)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: چرچ کردن (çirç kirdin)

• Latin: caperrō
• Malayalam: ചുളുക്കുക (ml) (cuḷukkuka)
• Manx: craplee, cungee
• Polish: pomarszczyć (pl), marszczyć (pl) impf, zmarszczyć (pl) pf
• Portuguese: enrugar (pt) (of people), amassar (pt) (of clothing)
• Quechua: hawch'ay
• Romanian: cuta (ro), rida (ro), încreți (ro), zbârci (ro), (of clothing) plisa (ro)
• Russian: мять (ru) impf (mjatʹ), смина́ть (ru) impf (sminátʹ), смять (ru) pf (smjatʹ)
• Sardinian:

  Logudorese: aggruncipire, aprichizonare

• Sassarese: incrippì
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бо́рати, на̀бирати

  Roman: bórati (sh), nàbirati (sh)

• Slovak: pokrčiť, krčiť
• Spanish: arrugar (es)
• Swedish: skrynkla (sv)

to pucker or become uneven or irregular

• Bulgarian: нагъвам (bg) (nagǎvam)
• Catalan: arrugar-se (ca)
• Finnish: rypistyä (fi), kurtistua
• Galician: amarfañar (gl), amorgallar (gl)
• German: schrumpeln (de), verschrumpeln (de)
• Greek: ζαρώνω (el) (zaróno)
• Ingrian: murjahussa
• Malayalam: ചുളുങ്ങുക (ml) (cuḷuṅṅuka)
• Manx: craplee, cungee
• Russian: мо́рщить (ru) impf (mórščitʹ), смо́рщить (ru) pf (smórščitʹ) (transitive), мо́рщиться (ru) impf (mórščitʹsja), смо́рщиться (ru) pf (smórščitʹsja) (intransitive)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бо́рати се, на̀бирати се

  Roman: bórati se (sh), nàbirati se (sh)

• Slovak: vráskavieť, zvráskavieť
• Swedish: skrynkla sig

to develop irreversibly wrinkles; to age

• Bulgarian: сбръчквам се (sbrǎčkvam se)
• Catalan: sortir arrugues (+indirect object, ~to somebody)
• Esperanto: faltiĝi
• Galician: engurrifar, engarrechar
• German: runzelig werden, altern (de)
• Malayalam: ചുളിയുക (ml) (cuḷiyuka)
• Polish: marszczyć się impf, zmarszczyć się pf
• Slovak: vráskavieť, zvráskavieť
• Swedish: rynka (sv)

Etymology 2

Noun

wrinkle (plural wrinkles)

1. (US, dialect) A winkle

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “wrinkle”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Winkler