1
as in wincing
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shrinking
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cringing
Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
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
Adjective
But the aftermath of the videos left many Democrats cringing, Republican candidates pouncing, and political observers wondering how voters would respond.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2025
The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
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
-
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
-
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.—
Laura L. Davis,
Nashville Tennessean,
6 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
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And the supporters who responded to his complaints about overzealous Democrats aren’t recoiling.—
Jonathan J. Cooper,
Twin Cities,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Lily, meanwhile, was found cowering beside the couch, with the guiltiest of expressions on her face.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
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There is a cowering quality to her body, even her voice.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Less than a year after Poor Things — and a mere three months since that movie won multiple Oscars — Lanthimos reunited with Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley for a demented triptych organized around dominant-submissive relationships.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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The country wasn’t being run, and laws weren’t being made, by people who endorse the idea of submissive women with great enthusiasm.—
Megan Angelo,
Glamour,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When legends who have left the public eye or dealt with illness pass away, there’s a sort of resigned expectation, but that wasn’t the case with Keaton, who worked all the way to the end before dying at 79.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
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The Cowboys are only .500, and the expectations for this team from their resigned fan base are so low that a playoff appearance will qualify as a good year.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2025.
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