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
-
Ohtani spun and winced but then strode straight to first base.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
-
Vanderbilt was in a ton of pain, and even the Thunder bench winced at Vanderbilt’s hand.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The executive producer and star points to earlier moments in the season, like when Ruben flinched at the sight of his dad through his bedroom window.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
-
However, Wall Street hasn’t flinched.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
And when the Walmart collaboration arrived in 2007 — a full collection at twenty dollars and under — the industry recoiled once again.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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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
Verb
-
The Russian ambassador cowered inside the pavilion.—
Sebastian Smee,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
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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.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cringed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringed. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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