hand-wringing
noun
hand-wring·ing
ˈhand-ˌriŋ-iŋ 
: an overwrought expression of concern or guilt
a lot of hand-wringing over the state of the economy
handwringer
noun
Examples of hand-wringing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This has set off a new round of hand-wringing about grade inflation.
—
Mitch Zimmer, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Silver’s success has also sparked a hand-wringing on social media where users are posting sardonic memes about Bitcoin’s stumbles.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
Despite all the hand-wringing about tampering, the NCAA rulebook classifies it as a Level II violation, not Level I, which usually results in minor penalties.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Beyond music, the creation of a lifelike AI actress named Tilly Norwood has sparked similarly existential hand-wringing across Hollywood.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
So much for all that hand-wringing.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Here is why hand-wringing should remain tempered.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
In the book’s introduction, Kaplan does a bit of perfunctory hand-wringing about the state of the country, arguing that Decca is a model for how to generate empathy in a time of polarization.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
All the recent obituaries for videos are premature, just as all the hand-wringing over the decline of MTV seems extremely postmature.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
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Mitch Zimmer, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Silver’s success has also sparked a hand-wringing on social media where users are posting sardonic memes about Bitcoin’s stumbles.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026
Despite all the hand-wringing about tampering, the NCAA rulebook classifies it as a Level II violation, not Level I, which usually results in minor penalties.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Beyond music, the creation of a lifelike AI actress named Tilly Norwood has sparked similarly existential hand-wringing across Hollywood.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
So much for all that hand-wringing.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Here is why hand-wringing should remain tempered.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
In the book’s introduction, Kaplan does a bit of perfunctory hand-wringing about the state of the country, arguing that Decca is a model for how to generate empathy in a time of polarization.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
All the recent obituaries for videos are premature, just as all the hand-wringing over the decline of MTV seems extremely postmature.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-wringing. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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