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
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
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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Vanderbilt was in a ton of pain, and even the Thunder bench winced at Vanderbilt’s hand.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
-
Internally, some employees winced as the prices of some chips surpassed $7.—
Wire TBD,
Dallas Morning News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meta Platforms is splashing some serious cash on AI infrastructure, and investors have flinched.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The recruiting operation has barely flinched, as Bama has reeled in its fair share of five-stars and top five classes since DeBoer's arrival in January 2024.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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Investors recoiled out of fears of an endless quagmire.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the dogs ran off while the other cowered under a vehicle parked in the resident’s driveway.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Apr. 2026
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On a night there was something tangible to play for — which might not be the case in the three remaining regular-season games — Erik Spoelstra’s team cowered in the moment, with a 17-point deficit before halftime, a gap that would grow to 27, in what turned into a 121-95 loss at Scotiabank Arena.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cringed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringed. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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