wrinkle Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a slight depression in the smoothness of a surface
crease; seam; crinkle; line; furrow.
- his face has many lines
- ironing gets rid of most wrinkles
noun a minor difficulty
- they finally have the wrinkles pretty well ironed out
noun a clever method of doing something (especially something new and different)
verb gather or contract into wrinkles or folds; pucker
purse.
- purse ones's lips
verb make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in
scrunch; crisp; crease; crinkle; ruckle; scrunch up.
- The dress got wrinkled
- crease the paper like this to make a crane
verb make wrinkled or creased
crease; furrow.
- furrow one's brow
verb become wrinkled or crumpled or creased
crinkle; rumple; crumple; crease.
- This fabric won't wrinkle

OE. wrinkil, AS. wrincle; akin to OD. wrinckel, and prob. to Dan. rynke, Sw. rynka, Icel. hrukka, OHG. runza, G. runzel, L. ruga. .

A small ridge, prominence, or furrow formed by the shrinking or contraction of any smooth substance; a corrugation; a crease; a slight fold; as, wrinkle in the skin; a wrinkle in cloth. "The wrinkles in my brows." Shak.
Within I do not find wrinkles and used heart, but unspent youth. Emerson.
hence, any roughness; unevenness.
Not the least wrinkle to deform the sky. Dryden.
Perhaps a different word, and a dim. AS. wrenc a twisting, deceit. Cf. Wrench, n. A notion or fancy; a whim; as, to have a new wrinkle. Colloq.

imperfect & past participle Wrinkled ; present participle & verbal noun Wrinkling

To contract into furrows and prominences; to make a wrinkle or wrinkles in; to corrugate; as, wrinkle the skin or the brow. "Sport that wrinkled Care derides." Milton.
Her wrinkled form in black and white arrayed. Pope.
Hence, to make rough or uneven in any way.
A keen north wind that, blowing dry, Wrinkled the face of deluge, as decayed. Milton.

Then danced we on the wrinkled sand. Bryant.