A contraction is a shortened version of the written and spoken forms of a word, syllable, or word In subject–auxiliary inversion, the contracted negative forms behave as if they were auxiliaries themselves, changing Contractions, in which one glyph represents two or more morphemes, are a notable exception to this rule. contracted - WordReference English dictionary, questions, discussion and forums . an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something Synonyms: shrunken, rented, promised, compendious, retained, more. I think that this probably stems from the register of the two - contract is more formal, so we tend to use it when As definitions, they are very close synonyms.