1
as in wincing
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shrinking
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cringing
Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Pub purists, meanwhile, are cringing.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
On the other side are GOP lawmakers cringing at the departure of so many CDC officials.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Bills can be seen visibly cringing in both clips as the two dancers fall to the ground.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Pub purists, meanwhile, are cringing.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
On the other side are GOP lawmakers cringing at the departure of so many CDC officials.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringing
Verb
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In that moment, Dupree involuntarily punches him and the pair go quiet as Dooley cusses and bends over wincing in pain.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps tearing originally grew out of a physiological reflex that restored moisture to the eyes and nasal passages after they had been dried out by the pressure of wincing or the hyperventilation of arousal.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Ross passed the day's examination with flying colors, barely flinching at the rubber chicken.—
Craig Shoup,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Skubal, apparently flinching with the noise, balked for only the second time in his career.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Americans are recoiling from the Democratic Party, and even in blue states like Colorado, Democrats are feeling the burn.—
The Denver Post Editorial Board,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
-
And the supporters who responded to his complaints about overzealous Democrats aren’t recoiling.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Twin Cities,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There is a cowering quality to her body, even her voice.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
-
As a result, the poor Rottweiler could be seen cowering against the wall and looking incredibly nervous in the cat’s presence.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And the movement could never be as iconic as Sergio Busquets’ submissive touch, pause and guide for Lionel Messi to embark on one of the best solo goals ever seen in the 2011 El Clasico semi-final at the Bernabeu.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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Jason Ardizzone-West’s set is a predictable slick white box, its blank surfaces submissive to the constant barrage of Brad Peterson’s video projections.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But there is a weariness here, too, a resigned cynicism that carries the film into its second act, which zooms ahead some 15 years and finds Perfidia’s child, Willa (Chase Infiniti), now a teenager living in hiding with her father, Bob.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Sep. 2025
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Just 14 yards on resigned run plays were, however, according to Pro Football Focus.—
Oliver Thomas,
Forbes.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The president has been calling aggressively for lower rates and a more acquiescent Fed.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
17 Sep. 2025
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Where Chelsea’s domestic overseers have been largely acquiescent to their accounting ingenuity, the same can’t be said abroad.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Maryland’s appeal points to Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which instructs federal judges to be highly deferential in evaluating state criminal convictions.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The joke was neither too harsh nor too deferential.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringing. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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