What does wintled mean?
Wintled is a rare English adjective for something that has become wrinkled, shrivelled, or tightly contracted. Its best-known application is to a face: a wintled face is one marked by creases and folds, often suggesting age, weather, or hardship. The word may also describe skin or other tissue that has dried and contracted, and it has a deliberately old-fashioned, literary tone rather than the neutral register of "wrinkled." In sentences, wintled functions chiefly before a noun, though it can also follow one when used as a predicate adjective. It is related to the older verb wintle, meaning to turn, twist, or wind, and preserves the sense of material being drawn inward. Although uncommon in contemporary prose, wintled is useful for precise, evocative description, especially when the intention is to emphasize both physical contraction and the visual effect of numerous small folds rather than simply to say "old" or "dry."
Wrinkled, shrivelled, or tightly contracted, especially with age or dryness.
"His wintled hands gripped the rail of the boat."
Chiefly literary; especially common in descriptions of a face.
The simple past tense and past participle of wintle.
"The fruit wintled as it dried in the heat."
Rare and more common in older or strongly literary writing.
For a face covered with folds, wintled offers an old-fashioned description with a distinctly windswept character.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wintled
Wintled is an English formation based on the older verb wintle, meaning to turn, twist, or wind. Its adjectival use describes something that has been turned, drawn tight, or contracted into folds. The underlying vocabulary is now uncommon, while wintled survives chiefly as a rare literary adjective.
Related word forms
How wintled is actually used
This is a rare, chiefly literary word with an old-fashioned flavour. It is especially associated with describing a wintled face, skin, or hands, and conveys contraction and wrinkling more vividly than the neutral word "old."