schrumpfenden

Schrumpfenden is the present participle of the German verb schrumpfen, meaning to shrink or diminish. Used as an adjective, it describes something that is shrinking or has become smaller over time. The form is most common in attributive position before a noun in plural, for example: die schrumpfenden Pflanzen, die schrumpfenden Populationen. As a participle, it conveys a continuing or resulting state rather than a completed action.

Grammatically, schrumpfenden is the weak plural form. In plural, after a definite article or other determiner, you would say die schrumpfenden Pflanzen (nominal or accusative), den schrumpfenden Pflanzen (dative), der schrumpfenden Pflanzen (genitive). Without a determiner, the strong declension yields schrumpfende Pflanzen in plural (e.g., schrumpfende Pflanzen). In singular, the corresponding forms are der schrumpfende Mann, die schrumpfende Frau, das schrumpfende Kind, showing the typical endings of the German present participle used as adjectives.

The term should not be confused with das Schrumpfen, the noun that names the process of shrinking. Schrumpfenden, by contrast, is an adjective or participial form used to describe nouns in contexts such as biology, economics, or geography.

Usage examples include ecological descriptions like schrumpfende Populationen, economic contexts such as schrumpfende Märkte, or demographic notes like schrumpfende Bevölkerungen. The word highlights a state of reduction or decline and is common in formal writing and reporting.