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Shrunk vs Decreased - What's the difference?

shrunk | decreased |

As verbs the difference between shrunk and decreased

is that shrunk is (shrink) while decreased is (decrease).

shrunk

English

Verb

(head)
  • (shrink)

    • Usage notes

    In casual use, found even in careful speech, interchangeable with shrank; in careful formal use, only used for past participle "I have'' shrunk ", while ''shrank is used for the past tense "I shrank". Compare sank/sunk. The inconsistent usage is due to the fact that shrink is a (Germanic strong verb), hence conjugated via ablaut (change of vowel rather than adding ), but these are irregular in modern English. The past tense "shrunk" is derived from the Old English plural past "scruncon". The same form is found in other past tenses, such as "slunk". The 1989 movie '' (formally: ''Honey, I Shrank the Kids'' or ''Honey, I've Shrunk the Kids ) is an example of the prevalence of the casual form. Note that in the 1844 translation of the , the form "shrank" is used in IV Maccabees 14:4] ("None of the seven youths turned cowardly, or shrank back from death", singular subject), whereas "shrunk" is used in [http://ebible.org/eng-Brenton/1MA03.htm I Maccabees 3:6 ("Wherefore the wicked shrunk for fear of him, and all the workers of iniquity were troubled, because salvation prospered in his hand", plural subject). The preferred form when used adjectivally is "shrunken".

    Usage notes

    * " shrunk/shrank", Paul Brians * " ON LANGUAGE; How 'Shrunk' Snuck In", by (William Safire), July 16, 1995, New York Times

    decreased

    English

    Verb

    (head)
  • (decrease)

    • decrease

    English

    Verb

    (decreas)
  • Of a quantity, to become smaller.
  • To make (a quantity) smaller.

    • Synonyms

    * (become smaller) drop, fall, go down, plummet (rapidly), plunge (rapidly), reduce, shrink, sink * (make smaller) abate, cut, decrement, lower, reduce

    Antonyms

    * (become larger) go up, grow, increase, rise, soar (rapidly), shoot up (rapidly) * (make larger) increase, increment, raise, up (informal)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An amount by which a quantity is decreased.
  • (knitting) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See .

    • Synonyms

    * (amount by which a quantity is decreased) cut, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction, shrinkage

    Antonyms

    * (amount by which a quantity is decreased) gain, increase, increment, raise , rise

    Anagrams

    * English ergative verbs English heteronyms 1000 English basic words