cringe
adjective
slang
: so embarrassing, awkward, etc. as to cause one to cringe : cringeworthy
a cringe moment
cringe comedy [=comedy involving jokes that make people uncomfortable]
It's hard to find a movie from the early 2000s that isn't a little cringe.—
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theringer.comExamples of cringe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The problem arises when the amount of cringe veers beyond a reasonable level.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 Mar. 2026
But even when Heidecker and Turkington gamble on someone who might not fully get the joke, the result miraculously fits itself into their world of cringe comedy.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
As with the 2023 iteration of Jury Duty, which was nominated for four Emmys, Norman is really a person who doesn’t know the show — which focuses on cringe comedy as the actors try to weird out Norman — is a joke.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2026
The most poetic flourish here, meanwhile, is a whiff: an intuitive, interpretive mother-daughter dance sequence on the beach that prompts more cringe than catharsis.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cringe
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Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 Mar. 2026
But even when Heidecker and Turkington gamble on someone who might not fully get the joke, the result miraculously fits itself into their world of cringe comedy.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 13 Mar. 2026
As with the 2023 iteration of Jury Duty, which was nominated for four Emmys, Norman is really a person who doesn’t know the show — which focuses on cringe comedy as the actors try to weird out Norman — is a joke.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2026
The most poetic flourish here, meanwhile, is a whiff: an intuitive, interpretive mother-daughter dance sequence on the beach that prompts more cringe than catharsis.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cringe
Cite this Entry
“Cringe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cringe. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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