Definition of WRITHE

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Writhe wound its way to English from the Old English verb wrīthan ("to twist") and is akin to the Old English verb wrigian ("to turn or go"). Wrigian gave us our words wriggle, awry, and wry. When something wriggles it twists from side to side with quick movements, like an earthworm. When something goes awry, its twists or winds off course, or toward catastrophe. Wry can mean "bent or twisted" but now usually implies clever, ironic humor. Nowadays, writhe often suggests the physical contortions one makes when enduring crippling pain or when trying to extract oneself from a tight grasp (as an animal from a predator's claws). Alternatively, it can imply an emotionally wrenching feeling (as of grief or fear) from which one seeks relief.

Examples of writhe in a Sentence

She lay on the floor, writhing in pain. a nest of writhing snakes

Recent Examples on the Web

The hognose snake will feign death by opening its mouth, rolling over on its back, and writhing around. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, "'Famous' North Carolina 'Zombie' Snake Species Likes to Play Dead Before Striking Repeatedly," 11 June 2019 She is usually portrayed as a hideous clawed mother goddess, decked out in writhing serpents, with a grotesque necklace of dangling human hearts, skulls, and hands. — Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "The Cowardly Incoherence of Name-Changing, Statue-Toppling, and other Iconoclasms," 25 June 2019 To get hired by Elizabeth Streb’s company, applicants need certain skills—the potential to writhe inches below spinning steel beams, belly-flop off rafters and smash into plexiglass walls. — Lauren Weber, WSJ, "Help Wanted: Must Enjoy Running Into Walls," 27 Feb. 2019 Grainy dash camera video shows McDonald writhing around on the ground after being shot 16 times. — Barnini Chakraborty, Fox News, "Rahm Emanuel leaves behind tainted legacy as Chicago murder rate, crime and corruption surge on his watch," 6 Sep. 2018 Models wove their way around dancing performers, who writhed on the floor wearing second-skin suits and were connected to the ceiling with wires. — Elizabeth Paton, New York Times, "Our 5 Favorite Shows From the Men’s Runways in London," 11 June 2018 The complex’s centerpiece—a Frank Gehry tower with its writhing metal cladding—is not quite ready for the big reveal but nevertheless looms large over the Alyscamps (the Romans’ Elysian fields showcased the recent Gucci Resort collection). — Hamish Bowles, Vogue, "What to See at the Rencontres d’Arles Photo Festival," 24 Aug. 2018 Any choreographer who can turn an onstage overdose into a writhing sofa ballet should begin preparing a Tony acceptance speech. — Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, "A ‘Jagged Little Pill’ for these times," 25 May 2018 Things rose, reluctantly but deliberately, to a writhing climax. — Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, "Review: A Jazzfest Marathon Where Voices Lead the Way to Resistance and Renewal," 15 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'writhe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.