1
as in winces
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
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Recent Examples of cringes
Payton cringes at the mention of a sophomore slump, that defenses will figure out Nix.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringes
Verb
-
Bryan winces after weighing in at 597 lbs.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
9 Dec. 2025
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When the crowd begins hooting in response, Nanjiani winces.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Cash flinches from this cascade of consequences.—
Gideon Leek,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Sheinbaum quickly moves away and visibly flinches as the man attempts to put his arm around her.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
At some point, each of us is faced with a clingy child, a dramatic friend, a partner who recoils at the first hint of intimacy, a volatile parent or a controlling boss — in short, a difficult relationship.—
Jessica A. Stern,
The Conversation,
23 Jan. 2026
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But the Oscar-winning filmmaker recoils at being called a visionary.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
If Venezuela and its region instead spiral into chaos and suffering, Trump will merely look like a bully, a president who cowers when facing the mighty — in Moscow or Beijing, say — but bombs those who can’t return fire, whether in Nigeria, Yemen or Venezuela.—
Andreas Kluth,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Guthrie family cowers in obedient fear of its brooding patriarch (Peter Mullan).—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cringes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringes. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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