wrinkle
gb/ɹˈɪŋkəl/ us/ɹˈɪŋkəl/
B1
English
~ 10000
ránc, gyűrődés, gyűrődik, meggyűr, ráncosodik, bökkenő, zökkenő, csavar, új elem
B1
1
Usage pattern:
[something] has wrinkles
Tiny wrinkles had started to appear around his eyes.
Apró ráncok kezdtek megjelenni a szeme körül.
She used a steam iron to take the wrinkles out of her dress.
Gőzvasalóval kivasalta a gyűrődéseket a ruhájából.
Too much sun can cause wrinkles on your face and neck.
The poster had several wrinkles after being rolled up for so long.
This cream claims to reduce wrinkles in just four weeks.
Learner examples
My shirt has many wrinkles after the flight.
A repülőút után sok gyűrődés van az ingemen.
He is getting older and has wrinkles on his face.
Öregszik, és ráncok vannak az arcán.
Use an iron to make the wrinkles go away.
There are small wrinkles in the paper.
She buys cream to help with her wrinkles.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'wrinkle' with 'pimple' or 'spot'. A wrinkle is a line or fold in the skin or material, not a raised bump. Also, learners may say 'my shirt is wrinkle' instead of the correct 'my shirt is wrinkled' or 'my shirt has wrinkles'.
Meaning
small line or fold in skin/fabric
Collocations
fine wrinkles
|deep wrinkles
|facial wrinkles
|wrinkle cream
|prevent wrinkles
|remove wrinkles
Synonyms
crease (A very similar word for a line or fold; slightly more common for fabric and paper than for skin.)
|
line (Often used for wrinkles on the face, especially in phrases like 'laugh lines' or 'worry lines'.)
Antonyms
smoothness (Describes a surface with no lines, folds, or bumps.)
Themes
appearance
|daily life
|clothing
|aging
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A small line or fold that you can see on skin, clothes, or paper when the surface is not smooth.
A small line, fold, or ridge in a normally smooth surface, especially on skin, fabric, or paper.
B2
2
Usage pattern:
[something] wrinkles / to wrinkle [something]
Linen tends to wrinkle easily if you don't hang it up.
A lenvászon könnyen gyűrődik, ha nem akasztod fel.
He wrinkled the letter in his hand and threw it away.
Összegyűrte a levelet a kezében, és eldobta.
Her nose wrinkled as she smelled the sour milk.
The pages had wrinkled from getting wet.
She sat on the dress and completely wrinkled the back of it.
Learner examples
This shirt wrinkles very fast.
Ez az ing nagyon gyorsan gyűrődik.
Do not wrinkle the photo.
Ne gyűrd meg a fényképet.
The paper wrinkled when it got wet.
He wrinkled his shirt by sleeping in it.
Her face wrinkled when she smiled.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say 'make wrinkles to the shirt' instead of 'wrinkle the shirt' or 'put wrinkles in the shirt'. Another mistake is using the base verb instead of the adjective: 'my shirt is wrinkle' is incorrect; say 'my shirt is wrinkled'.
Meaning
to become or make something creased
Collocations
cloth wrinkles easily
|paper wrinkled
|wrinkle around the eyes
|wrinkle the fabric
|wrinkle his brow
Synonyms
crease (Very close in meaning when talking about fabric or paper; 'wrinkle' is a bit more general and often used with skin as well.)
|
crumple (Stronger than 'wrinkle'; usually means to crush something so it has many folds and is badly damaged or messy.)
Antonyms
smooth (As a verb, means to make a surface even and free of lines or folds.)
|
straighten (Focuses on making something flat or not bent, often removing wrinkles at the same time.)
Themes
appearance
|daily life
|clothing
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To get small lines or folds, or to make something get small lines or folds.
To develop small lines or folds, or to cause a surface to develop small lines or folds.
B2
3
Usage pattern:
a wrinkle in [something]
There are still a few wrinkles in the contract that the lawyers need to fix.
Még van néhány bökkenő a szerződésben, amelyet az ügyvédeknek ki kell javítaniuk.
We hit a small wrinkle with the software update, but the team is working on it.
Akadt egy kis zökkenő a szoftverfrissítéssel, de a csapat dolgozik rajta.
Once we iron out the last wrinkles in the schedule, we can publish it.
The plan looks good overall, but there are one or two wrinkles we should talk about.
They discovered a serious wrinkle in the security system during testing.
Learner examples
There is one small wrinkle in our plan.
Van egy kis bökkenő a tervünkben.
We found a wrinkle in the new system.
Találtunk egy bökkenőt az új rendszerben.
The project has a few wrinkles, but it is going well.
We must fix these wrinkles before we start.
After we remove these wrinkles, the process will be easy.
Common mistake:
Learners may not recognize that 'wrinkle' here is metaphorical and try to picture an actual line or fold. It should not be used for very serious problems; for big or serious problems, use words like 'major problem' or 'serious issue' instead of 'wrinkle'.
Meaning
small problem in plan or process
Collocations
a minor wrinkle
|a few wrinkles
|wrinkles in the plan
|wrinkles in the system
|wrinkles to iron out
Synonyms
snag (Informal and common; suggests a small, unexpected problem that slows something down.)
|
glitch (Often used for technical or software problems; suggests something temporary or unexpected.)
|
issue (Very general word for a problem; less metaphorical than 'wrinkle'.)
Antonyms
smoothness (Describes a process or situation without problems or interruptions.)
|
perfection (Suggests that nothing is wrong and no changes are needed.)
Themes
business
|work
|planning
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A small problem in a plan or system that must be solved.
A minor problem, difficulty, or imperfection in a plan, system, or process that needs to be fixed.
C1
4
Usage pattern:
a new wrinkle in [something]
The app adds a new wrinkle to food delivery by using drones.
Az alkalmazás új csavart visz az ételkiszállításba azzal, hogy drónokat használ.
It's the familiar story, but with an interesting modern wrinkle.
Ismerős történet, de egy érdekes, modern csavarral.
This payment option introduces a wrinkle that customers might actually like.
The latest proposal includes a wrinkle that could save the company money.
Streaming has brought a major wrinkle to how people watch sports.
Learner examples
The movie has a new wrinkle at the end.
A film végén van egy új csavar.
This rule is a new wrinkle in the system.
Ez a szabály új elem a rendszerben.
The game adds a small wrinkle: you can play online.
Her idea is a smart wrinkle on the old plan.
The app has one more wrinkle that I really enjoy.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with the 'small problem' sense. A 'new wrinkle' here is usually neutral or positive, meaning a new feature or twist, not a mistake or difficulty.
Meaning
new twist or feature in something
Collocations
a new wrinkle
|an interesting wrinkle
|a clever wrinkle
|a wrinkle on an old idea
|adds a wrinkle to the story
Synonyms
twist (Very common for stories; suggests a surprising or different change in the usual pattern.)
|
variation (More neutral and technical; suggests a different version of something, not necessarily surprising.)
|
innovation (Stronger and more positive; suggests an important new idea rather than just a small change.)
Antonyms
unchanged version (Describes something that stays exactly the same without new features or twists.)
|
traditional approach (Focuses on doing something in the usual, established way without novel details.)
Themes
media
|innovation
|business
|communication
|education
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A new and different part added to an old idea, story, or system.
A new detail, feature, or variation that changes or adds interest to an existing idea, story, method, or system.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wrinkle
IPA
GB/ɹˈɪŋkəl/
US/ɹˈɪŋkəl/
Syllables & stress
wrinkle (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (wrinkle)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: wrinkle
- Plural: wrinkles
Word family
Forms
wrinkles
noun
Core family
wrinkled
adjective
Related words
wrinkly
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unwrinkled
adjective
Expressions
a new wrinkle
1/ə njˈu ɹˈɪŋkəl/
idiom
a new twist or development
A new and different part, idea, or change that is added to something that already exists.
Examples
- Online voting adds a new wrinkle to local elections.
- The director introduced a new wrinkle in the final scene that surprised viewers.
- The latest update brings a new wrinkle to how you share photos.
get the wrinkles out
1/ɡˈɛt ðə ɹˈɪŋkəlz ˈaʊt/
idiom
remove wrinkles or small issues
To remove wrinkles from clothes or paper, or to fix small problems in a plan or system.
Examples
- Run the shirt through the dryer to get the wrinkles out.
- The first version was rough, but we’ve gotten most of the wrinkles out now.
- It may take a few weeks to get the wrinkles out of the new process.
iron out the wrinkles
1/ˈaɪɚn ˈaʊt ðə ɹˈɪŋkəlz/
idiom
fix small problems or details
To fix small problems or details in a plan, system, or process so that it works well.
Examples
- We still need to iron out the wrinkles before we launch the new website.
- The meeting is to iron out the last wrinkles in the agreement.
- Once we iron out the wrinkles, the new system should run smoothly.
without a wrinkle
1/wɪðˈaʊt ə ɹˈɪŋkəl/
fixed phrase
completely smooth, no wrinkles
With no wrinkles at all; perfectly smooth.
Examples
- The shirt came out of the suitcase without a wrinkle.
- Her face was almost without a wrinkle, even at seventy.
wrinkle your nose at [something]
1/ɹˈɪŋkəl jˈʊɹ nˈoʊz ˈæt sˈʌmθɪŋ/
idiom
show dislike or disapproval
To move the skin on your nose, often lifting your upper lip, to show that you do not like or do not approve of something.
Examples
- She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the cheese.
- Critics wrinkled their noses at the idea of a movie remake.
- He used to wrinkle his nose at social media, but now he uses it every day.