as in shrinking
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cringing
Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026
In it, her fellow students can be seen gasping, covering their faces and cringing.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
Encouraged to see Jones sorta respond, Mackie kept babbling on and on and on about his dad, unaware that everyone else in the room was cringing.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
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
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
Verb
The movie’s real sympathetic figure is Hall, played by Dacre Montgomery, who spends most of the movie cringing and flinching, while trying not to move.
—Mick Lasalle, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Jan. 2026
In it, her fellow students can be seen gasping, covering their faces and cringing.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 30 Nov. 2025
Encouraged to see Jones sorta respond, Mackie kept babbling on and on and on about his dad, unaware that everyone else in the room was cringing.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2025
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
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
Adjective
-
Re-wash and dry the garment, using these tips to avoid re-shrinking, to prevent a residue from the conditioner from setting.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Already wincing from the high cost of living, some are going out of their way to spend less at the pump, cooling their jets in long gas lines at Costco and Sam’s Club, downloading the GasBuddy mobile app to scout for the cheapest gas and tapping fuel rewards programs.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
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Then, as things dragged on, Goldberg could be seen recoiling and wincing in her chair — and, at one point, fully collapsing backward in protest.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Knorr and other team officials were in the room, but Stammen helped lead it without flinching.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Alpha Wave acquisition suggests the Gulf’s biggest dealmakers aren’t flinching at opportunities in the US or being slowed by the war in Iran.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Coinbase’s effort, filled with little nuances and created to emulate the experience of a videogame, might have people welcoming another look rather than recoiling at seeing the spot for the 15th time in a period of just a few days.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
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Then, as things dragged on, Goldberg could be seen recoiling and wincing in her chair — and, at one point, fully collapsing backward in protest.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The latest release, Resident Evil Requiem, tries to appeal to both sides by starring a new character, the cowering FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, and a series favorite, action hero Leon Kennedy.—
Jay Peters,
The Verge,
1 Mar. 2026
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His crackdown has more than a few similarities with a military invasion of some cities, his roundups have left immigrant communities cowering and their neighbors defiant.—
Phil Elliott,
Time,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The project, which premiered at Sundance in January, is a zany and absurd exploration of a dominant-submissive relationship.—
Juliana Ukiomogbe,
InStyle,
3 Mar. 2026
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Iran wanted Iraq to remain weak and submissive, and in the meantime, corrupt Iranian officials could suck its resources, profit personally, and leave the country an impoverished mess.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Neither is the machine that, partway through the play, noisily turns the stage into a great berg of foam, which slowly subsumes a resigned Kramer.—
Talya Zax,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
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The album’s 20 songs are the resigned and rueful sound of him making amends with his obscurity, and his larger place in the universe.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Trump and his top aides have been inconsistent in their messaging on their goals for the war, vacillating between calls for regime change and far shorter ambitions, such as an Islamic Republic that remains in power under leadership more acquiescent to the United States.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
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Don’t ask the Constitution to tame a reckless president supported by a cravenly acquiescent Congress.—
Clive Crook,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringing. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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