shrunken

Everyday

1. Having become smaller than before, often in a way that looks wrinkled, dried or weak. tree →
2. (of numbers or amounts) Made smaller, reduced. tree →

In the lessons

In stories a shrunken figure is an old or ill person who looks small and frail, or a magic spell has made someone tiny; in science, a dried fruit is a shrunken grape. In everyday life clothes washed too hot come out shrunken. In history and museum talk «shrunken heads» were made by a few peoples long ago, which can be mentioned in museums.

Examples

• My jumper came out of the wash all shrunken. tree →
• The old man looked shrunken in the big armchair. tree →
• A raisin is a shrunken, dried grape. tree →
• The shrunken lake left boats stuck in the mud. tree →
• In the story, the witch's spell left the prince shrunken to the size of a thumb. tree →
• The shrunken budget meant fewer school trips. tree →

Note

Mostly used as an adjective before a noun: «a shrunken apple». As the verb's past participle people usually say «shrunk»: «My jeans have shrunk». Past simple is «shrank»: «The jumper shrank».