1
as in winced
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
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Recent Examples of cringed
Mingione cringed when asked if any of his players had gotten hurt by a hit by pitch.
—
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
For a decade, viewers have cringed at Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke’s rocky relationship, the dénouement of which is currently playing out on season ten of Summer House.
—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
And the mother of Carter, a 5-year-old boy, cringed in fear when Carter (who was celebrating his birthday) was approached at a neighborhood bike park by a group of much older boys.
—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
The couple cringed at the attention.
—
Molly Hennessy-Fiske,
Washington Post,
19 Mar. 2026
As Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe joined The View Thursday for an interview about his role in the new NBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the superstar cringed when the show cued up a clip of one of his early auditions to play the boy wizard.
—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson worked on those early indexes as a researcher and cringed at seeing some of his early graphics work from the ’90s shown on the big screen.
—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
You get cringed out when things are earnest or something, but then the music is a way to channel it.
—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
25 Nov. 2025
During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.
—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
For a decade, viewers have cringed at Amanda Batula and Kyle Cooke’s rocky relationship, the dénouement of which is currently playing out on season ten of Summer House.
—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
And the mother of Carter, a 5-year-old boy, cringed in fear when Carter (who was celebrating his birthday) was approached at a neighborhood bike park by a group of much older boys.
—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
The couple cringed at the attention.
—
Molly Hennessy-Fiske,
Washington Post,
19 Mar. 2026
As Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe joined The View Thursday for an interview about his role in the new NBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, the superstar cringed when the show cued up a clip of one of his early auditions to play the boy wizard.
—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
San Jose Jazz Executive Director Brendan Rawson worked on those early indexes as a researcher and cringed at seeing some of his early graphics work from the ’90s shown on the big screen.
—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
You get cringed out when things are earnest or something, but then the music is a way to channel it.
—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
25 Nov. 2025
During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.
—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringed
Verb
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James stretched his neck and winced.
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The Republican Congress — filled with Netanyahu fans and hawks eager to align with Israel — winced.
Verb
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Credit card APRs are still parked near record highs, after all, and rates on mortgages and many other loan products have barely flinched, meaning there are big affordability challenges for those who need to borrow money in today's landscape.
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Up to that point, neither team’s starting pitcher had flinched.
Verb
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And when the Walmart collaboration arrived in 2007 — a full collection at twenty dollars and under — the industry recoiled once again.
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The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.
Verb
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The Russian ambassador cowered inside the pavilion.
-
But Wednesday night, they were handed a harsh lesson from a true contender — one that smelled blood against a team that cowered and played scared to death from the 20-minute mark on.
Cite this Entry
“Cringed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringed. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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