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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Recent Examples of 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
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
Verb
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
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
-
The actress was shown wincing in pain before being escorted out of the ballroom on a stretcher into an ambulance.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
Bassist Franz Lyons, standing nearby onstage, is seen recoiling and shielding his eyes from the dispersing spray.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
-
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
Verb
-
Lily, meanwhile, was found cowering beside the couch, with the guiltiest of expressions on her face.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
-
There is a cowering quality to her body, even her voice.—
Zuzana Říhová,
Literary Hub,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even literary heroes had been growing more submissive, Whyte claimed.—
David Merritt Johns,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
-
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
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
-
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
-
The president has been calling aggressively for lower rates and a more acquiescent Fed.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
17 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority has been very deferential to executive authority, particularly in matters of foreign policy and national security.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
4 Nov. 2025
-
And so, despite some emotionally satiating patriotic rhetoric on the campaign trail, Carney was deferential and complimentary to Trump on his courtly visit to the Oval Office shortly after winning the election.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringing. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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