What does crinkle mean?
Crinkle is an English verb and noun describing the formation of many small, irregular creases in a surface. As a verb, it may be intransitive ('the foil crinkled') or transitive ('she crinkled the wrapper'), and it is often used figuratively of the face, as when someone's eyes crinkle with a smile or they crinkle their nose in mild disgust. As a noun, a crinkle is one of those tiny folds themselves, found in tissue paper, cellophane, fabric, or skin. The word sits comfortably alongside its relatives wrinkle and crease but suggests something finer and less serious: crinkles are textural rather than damaging, giving the word a light, even affectionate tone. The related adjective crinkly describes hair, leaves, or paper with this quality. Crinkle entered English in the sixteenth century, likely formed from an older dialect word with the frequentative suffix -le, which gives it a pleasingly repetitive sound suited to what it describes.
To form, or cause to form, many small irregular creases or wrinkles; also, of the eyes or nose, to contract slightly in expression.
"The cellophane crinkled loudly as he unwrapped the sweets."
Both transitive and intransitive uses are standard; the facial sense (crinkle one's nose or eyes) is very common in narrative writing.
A small crease or wrinkle in a surface such as paper, fabric, foil, or skin.
"There wasn't a single crinkle left in the freshly ironed shirt."
Often used with 'the' in sensory descriptions, e.g. 'the crinkle of sweet wrappers'.
Regular plural; used both literally (creases in material) and figuratively (laughter lines around the eyes).
"The gift wrap was covered in crinkles by the time the toddler finished with it."
The word 'crinkle' is one of the few English words whose sound genuinely mimics its meaning — that crisp, crackling '-kle' ending is practically onomatopoeia.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of crinkle
Crinkle appeared in English in the sixteenth century, apparently formed from an earlier Middle English dialect term 'crink', meaning to twist or turn, combined with the frequentative suffix '-le' found in verbs like sparkle and twinkle. This suffix suits the word well, since it implies repeated small movements — exactly what a crinkling surface does. It belongs to a loose Germanic family of words denoting bending and twisting, including the rare 'crankle' and, more distantly, 'wrinkle'. No Latin or Greek root is involved; the word is thoroughly Germanic in origin.
Related word forms
How crinkle is actually used
Crinkle is informal-to-neutral in register and carries a gentle, often pleasant connotation — crinkled paper, crinkled smiles, and crinkled cellophane all suggest texture rather than damage. It is frequently used of faces (a crinkled smile around the eyes), food packaging, and lightweight materials like tissue paper. The derived adjective 'crinkly' is common for hair and textures. Unlike 'wrinkle', which can imply aging or defect, 'crinkle' rarely carries negative judgment.
Easily confused with crinkle
A wrinkle is typically a larger or deeper fold (especially in skin), while a crinkle is a finer, more irregular small crease.
Crankle means to bend or curve in zigzag fashion, whereas crinkle refers to fine surface wrinkles; crankle is now rare.