hand-wringing
noun
hand-wring·ing
ˈhand-ˌriŋ-iŋ 
: an overwrought expression of concern or guilt
handwringer
noun
Examples of hand-wringing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Hacks, the end of Deborah’s and Ava’s late night dreams made for dramatic reckoning, but our heroes eschewed hand-wringing.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Despite industry-wide hand-wringing over the rise of streaming, watching a movie at home and seeing a movie in the theater are not mutually exclusive experiences.
—Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
The current round of liberal hand-wringing about how conservatives have become far better at driving the political conversation stems in large part from Kirk.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
As the calendar turns to fall, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing over the 2025 summer box office, which the New York Times reported was at its lowest point since 1981.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
Whatever minor hand-wringing the opening of the 113-room hotel may have caused, it’s been widely embraced in the few years since opening.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2025
No more hand-wringing and excuses by politicians who love to talk while people are terrorized.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Somewhat lost in the hand-wringing over the CEO announcement, Target actually topped Wall Street expectations for sales and earnings during its fiscal second quarter.
—Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The tariff ramp-up has prompted hand-wringing and contingency planning, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an audience with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 8 Aug. 2025
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Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Despite industry-wide hand-wringing over the rise of streaming, watching a movie at home and seeing a movie in the theater are not mutually exclusive experiences.
—Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
The current round of liberal hand-wringing about how conservatives have become far better at driving the political conversation stems in large part from Kirk.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
As the calendar turns to fall, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing over the 2025 summer box office, which the New York Times reported was at its lowest point since 1981.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
Whatever minor hand-wringing the opening of the 113-room hotel may have caused, it’s been widely embraced in the few years since opening.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 4 Sep. 2025
No more hand-wringing and excuses by politicians who love to talk while people are terrorized.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Somewhat lost in the hand-wringing over the CEO announcement, Target actually topped Wall Street expectations for sales and earnings during its fiscal second quarter.
—Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The tariff ramp-up has prompted hand-wringing and contingency planning, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an audience with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-wringing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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