wrinkly

wrinkly — noun

IPA/ˈrɪŋ.kli/
IPA/ˈrɪŋ.kli/
  • wrinklysingular
  • wrinkliesplural

1. a rude or playful word for someone who is old, used in informal speech

1.nounB2
Definition

a rude or playful word for someone who is old, used in informal speech

Example

Some wrinkly on the bus told James the same story three times.

informal register: calling someone 'a wrinkly'

Amihan laughed when her nephew called their next-door neighbour an old wrinkly.

Common collocations
  • old wrinkly
Synonyms
  • old-timer

    milder and more affectionate, often used by the person themselves

  • codger

    old-fashioned informal term, almost always for men

  • geezer

    British informal for an old man; can be neutral or mocking depending on tone

Grammar Patterns

a wrinkly

the wrinkly

some wrinkly

Usage Note

Offensive when used about someone else without their permission. Older people sometimes use it about themselves in a self-mocking, humorous way.

Common Mistakes

He is a wrinkly person.
He is a wrinkly.
The noun stands alone; don't use it as an adjective before 'person'.

wrinkly — adjective

IPA/ˈrɪŋkli/
IPA/ˈrɪŋkli/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe surfaces that are not smooth, but each fits different contexts. 'Wrinkly' is the most everyday choice — it works for skin, clothes, and paper alike, and feels slightly more casual than 'wrinkled.' 'Wrinkled' is the more common written form and sounds a touch more neutral in formal descriptions. 'Creased' is your go-to for fabric and paper when the lines are sharp, as if from folding: a creased shirt looks like it just came out of a suitcase, while a wrinkly one might just need ironing. 'Lined' belongs almost exclusively to faces and skin — you would say a lined forehead but not a lined tablecloth. 'Crinkled' suggests lots of tiny, light folds: think of crinkled wrapping paper or a crinkled foil wrapper, where the texture is delicate rather than deep. Example: you might smooth a wrinkly bedsheet, but you'd flatten a creased letter, and you'd describe an old sailor as having a lined, weather-beaten face.

wrinkly ↗wrinkled ↗creased ↗lined ↗crinkled ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Comes from the noun 'wrinkle' (a small line or fold on a surface) plus the adjective-forming suffix '-y.' 'Wrinkle' itself traces back to Old English 'gewrinclod,' meaning 'sinuous' or 'crooked,' with the core idea of something twisted or bent out of a smooth shape. The noun sense meaning 'an old person' is much newer — it appeared in informal British English in the late 20th century as a jokey or rude way to refer to someone whose skin shows their age.