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Vanish vs Shrink - What's the difference?

vanish | shrink |

As verbs the difference between vanish and shrink

is that vanish is to become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed while shrink is to cause to become smaller.

As nouns the difference between vanish and shrink

is that vanish is (phonetics) the brief terminal part of a vowel or vocal element, differing more or less in quality from the main part while shrink is shrinkage; contraction; recoil.

vanish

English

Verb

(es)
  • To become invisible or to move out of view unnoticed.
  • *
  • *:The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished , pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.
  • (lb) To become equal to zero.
  • :The function f(x)=x2 vanishes at x=0.

    • Synonyms

    * disappear

    Derived terms

    * vanishing spray

    Noun

    (vanishes)
  • (phonetics) The brief terminal part of a vowel or vocal element, differing more or less in quality from the main part.
    • a as in ale ordinarily ends with a vanish of i as in ill.
    o as in old ordinarily ends with a vanish of oo as in foot.
    (Rush)

    See also

    * glide (Webster 1913)

    shrink

    English

    Verb

  • To cause to become smaller.
    • The dryer shrank my sweater.
  • To become smaller; to contract.
    • This garment will shrink when wet.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • I have not found that water, by mixture of ashes, will shrink or draw into less room.
  • * Dryden
    • And shrink like parchment in consuming fire.
  • To cower or flinch.
    • Molly shrank away from the blows of the whip.
  • To draw back; to withdraw.
  • * Milton
    • The Libya Hammon shrinks his horn.
  • (figuratively) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • What happier natures shrink at with affright, / The hard inhabitant contends is right.
  • * Jowett (Thucyd.)
    • They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task.

    Synonyms

    * (avoid an unwanted task) funk, shirk

    Antonyms

    * (to cause to become smaller) expand, grow, enlarge, stretch * (become smaller) expand, grow, enlarge, stretch

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • shrinkage; contraction; recoil
    • Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink , / That I had less to praise. — Leigh Hunt.
  • (slang, sometimes, pejorative) A psychiatrist or therapist; a head-shrinker.
    • You need to see a shrink .
    My shrink said that he was an enabler, bad for me.
  • * 1994 , (Green Day),
    • I went to a shrink , to analyze my dreams. He said it's lack of sex that's bringing my down.''

    Usage notes

    * The slang sense was originally pejorative, expressing a distrust of practitioners in the field. It is now not as belittling or trivializing.

    Synonyms

    * head-shrinker