Definition of cringe
cringed
;cringing
intransitive verb
1 : to draw in or contract one's muscles involuntarily (as from cold or pain) … we cringe under the blasting wind … — Charles S. Houston
2 : to shrink in fear or servility The terrified animal cringed in the corner.
3 : to behave in an excessively humble or servile way beggars cringing to tourists for money
4 : to recoil in distaste Americans cringed … at the use of a term now regarded as a slur — William Safire
cringer
nounFrom the M-W Editors
Examples of cringe in a Sentence
Many English teachers cringe when their students use the word “ain't.”
I always cringe when I hear that song.
Just the thought of eating broccoli makes me cringe.
The dog cringed at the noise.
Recent Examples of cringe from the Web
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The Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, but some of us cringed at seeing what had become of Rory’s once-promising journalism career.
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One call that makes me cringe a bit is the high-pitched, clear whistle or dry rattling call of arriving cowbirds to my neighborhood.
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Phillies fans most likely weren’t cringing, but rather yelling when Odubel Herrera plowed through Juan Samuel’s stop sign at third base and was thrown out handily at home plate in a tie game in the ninth inning.
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The problem is that Jackson has created a culture where free agents cringe at the thought of joining on.
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Today, many people cringe at the trolling culture of comment threads or social media.
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San Diego’s current building boom is producing dozens of new buildings and landscapes — some noteworthy, some cringe worthy.
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At the same time, there are Trump devotees who believe Fox News hasn’t gone far enough, and who cringe every time Shep Smith or Bret Baier utter a critical word about him.
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Dianne DePasquale-Hagerty, CEO of the non-profit agency that supplies housing and other supports for people who have developmental and physical disabilities, cringed inwardly.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cringe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of cringe
Middle English crengen; akin to Old English cringan to yield, Middle High German krank weak
Synonym Discussion of cringe
Recent Examples of cringe from the Web
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Ruby Hess submitted a recipe for chocolate mayonnaise cake and despite the cringe-worthy name, the cake has historical significance.
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And is there any better cringe comedy than the mixed signals of two people on a first date?
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Miami U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has been getting trolled on social media after a cringe-worthy photo of his awkward attempt to embrace the much taller Ivanka Trump popped up on political websites.
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That thought alone likely makes some people in the building cringe.
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The difference: Rough Night has a white cast (with Zoe Kravitz playing the token black friend), while Girls Trip has four black leading ladies (with Kate Walsh as a cringe-inducing, code-switching coworker).
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His writing is methodical and deliberate, but crackles with cringe-inducing tension.
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Watch the whole, cringe-worthy scene unfold for yourself below.
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Daytime television is teeming with cringe-worthy ads for local attorneys.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cringe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of cringe
see 1cringe
CRINGE Defined for English Language Learners
cringe
playDefinition of cringe for English Language Learners
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: to feel disgust or embarrassment and often to show this feeling by a movement of your face or body
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: to make a sudden movement from fear of being hit or hurt
CRINGE Defined for Kids
cringe
playDefinition of cringe for Students
cringed
;cringing
1 : to shrink in fear : cower … when you see a dog cringe … You know somebody's been kicking at him. — Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Shiloh
2 : to show disgust or embarrassment at something He cringed at the suggestion of eating liver.
Learn More about cringe
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See words that rhyme with cringe Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cringe Spanish Central: Translation of cringe Nglish: Translation of cringe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cringe for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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