1
as in winced
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cringed
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 Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringed
Verb
-
Russell winced, remembering the backlash.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But none of the band members ever flinched over the divide that formed over their pre- and post-Vheissu sound.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
-
These images of an expanding Kong appeared on the screen and the actors on stage in front of it flinched in horror as the dwarfing image of Kong’s bigness loomed menacingly behind them.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Blazy, a Parisian born and bred, recoiled from the claim.—
Nathan Heller,
Vogue,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Some recoiled at the launch and others quit their positions.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Anyone living in one of the dozens of surrounding villages, such as Nazareth, who was not rounded up must have cowered in fear behind closed doors or hidden in the various underground cisterns and hewn chambers beneath the ancient houses and courtyards of the Jewish villages.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
-
In one incident, a predator, confirmed by a state biologist to have been a wolf, attacked an elk on the front steps of a home in Sierra County as the college-age son of the owner cowered inside, alone and afraid amid the growls and thumps that were shaking the front door.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cringed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringed. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share