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
Just this spring, from hand-wringing about the state of the league to, today, a finals that has everyone excited to tune in.
—
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Normally, this time of year for Bay Area residents means blooms of orange poppies, graduation announcements and hand-wringing over the San Francisco Giants’ record.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
But this hand-wringing has led to little tangible reform.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 11 May 2026
And despite the offseason hand-wringing, baseball’s in a better spot than it’s been in decades.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Perhaps because of their rarity, aviation incidents (or near accidents) tend to generate headlines and hand-wringing.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Publicly, without hand-wringing.
—Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
The community hand-wringing picked up when the Bills began charging $8,000-$50,000 annually per patron on PSLs for club seats.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Those who haven’t purchased trip insurance, can’t avoid the flight or have to travel out of necessity are going to be doing a lot of hand-wringing before the airport.
—Beth Collums, AJC.com, 3 Apr. 2026
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Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Normally, this time of year for Bay Area residents means blooms of orange poppies, graduation announcements and hand-wringing over the San Francisco Giants’ record.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
But this hand-wringing has led to little tangible reform.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 11 May 2026
And despite the offseason hand-wringing, baseball’s in a better spot than it’s been in decades.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Perhaps because of their rarity, aviation incidents (or near accidents) tend to generate headlines and hand-wringing.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Publicly, without hand-wringing.
—Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
The community hand-wringing picked up when the Bills began charging $8,000-$50,000 annually per patron on PSLs for club seats.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Those who haven’t purchased trip insurance, can’t avoid the flight or have to travel out of necessity are going to be doing a lot of hand-wringing before the airport.
—Beth Collums, AJC.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-wringing. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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