cringe

1 to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe Synonyms blench, flinch, quail, recoil, shrink, squinch, winceRelated Words blanch, pale, whiten; quake, quiver, shake, shudder, tremble; crouch; jerk, start, twitch; recede, retire, retreat, withdraw; falter, hesitate, reel, waverNear Antonyms advance, approach, near; beard, challenge, confront, defy, face

2 to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the puppy cringed when his master raised the rolled-up newspaper Synonyms cower, grovel, quailRelated Words flinch, recoil, shrink, squinch; blanch, blench, whiten; fawn, kowtow, toady