What does crimpled mean?
Crimpled is the past tense and past participle of crimp, and it describes something made to have small, tight waves or ridges. Its most familiar use is in fashion and textiles: crimped hair has been formed into waves, while crimped fabric or paper has been pressed to create a rippled texture. The word also has a practical engineering use, describing metal or other sheet material formed with repeated grooves or ridges. In these uses, “crimpled” emphasizes a deliberate physical texture rather than a smooth surface. As an adjective, it can stand directly before a noun, as in “crimped hair” or “crimped edges.” As a verb form, it appears with subjects such as a stylist, a machine, or a manufacturer: the stylist crimped the hair, and the machine crimped the sheet. The word is formal but broadly understandable, with a slightly old-fashioned fashion association and a more technical tone in manufacturing contexts.
To curl hair or fabric into small, tight waves, or to press a material into ridges or a textured pattern.
"The stylist crimped the hair before arranging it around her face."
The verb is transitive and may describe either curling or mechanically pressing a material into ridges.
Curled, rippled, or formed into small, tight waves or ridges.
"The jacket had a finely crimped surface that gave it a subtle texture."
This form is especially common in fashion, textile, and manufacturing descriptions.
From hairstyles to metalwork, crimpled is the tactile shorthand for a surface made to ripple.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does crimpled come from?
The word comes from Middle English crimpen, based on Old English crimpe, “to curl or crinkle.” The final -ed is a regular English past-tense and past-participle ending. Related forms such as crinkle reflect the same older Germanic word family.
Related word forms
How crimpled is actually used
The adjectival use is established in both everyday and technical registers. In manufacturing contexts, the term often has a more specialized and precise tone than in fashion or textile use.
Easily confused with crimpled
Crimpled describes material formed into deliberate, regular waves or ridges, whereas crumpled means crushed or crushed into irregular wrinkles and folds.