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
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
Back when the film was released and first became a hit, there was no small part of hand-wringing around Hollywood that Coogler’s deal would set a bad precedent for the studios on a long-term basis.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
While workers are hand-wringing at the prospect of an algorithm taking their job, bosses are reassuring workers that AI is just like any other technological revolution.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
This has caused the usual hand-wringing about competitive imbalance and the inherent plight of small-market teams.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
The annual hand-wringing around whether New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be fired is already under way, but that won’t be decided for weeks as the club’s management takes a breath and grieves the club’s latest playoff exit.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Once more, violent video games will be summoned for a brief moment of soul-searching and hand-wringing by political leaders representing constituents desperate to find a simple solution to our nation’s complex troubles.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Leavy catalogs this wistfulness not in the spirit of hand-wringing, but more as an earnest problem solver.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
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
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Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
Back when the film was released and first became a hit, there was no small part of hand-wringing around Hollywood that Coogler’s deal would set a bad precedent for the studios on a long-term basis.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
While workers are hand-wringing at the prospect of an algorithm taking their job, bosses are reassuring workers that AI is just like any other technological revolution.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
This has caused the usual hand-wringing about competitive imbalance and the inherent plight of small-market teams.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
The annual hand-wringing around whether New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be fired is already under way, but that won’t be decided for weeks as the club’s management takes a breath and grieves the club’s latest playoff exit.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Once more, violent video games will be summoned for a brief moment of soul-searching and hand-wringing by political leaders representing constituents desperate to find a simple solution to our nation’s complex troubles.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Leavy catalogs this wistfulness not in the spirit of hand-wringing, but more as an earnest problem solver.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-wringing. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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