as in worry
disapproving
worried talk or behavior
There has been a lot of silly hand-wringing over the latest hike in interest rates.
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Recent Examples of hand-wringing
But this hand-wringing has led to little tangible reform.
—
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 11 May 2026
And despite the offseason hand-wringing, baseball’s in a better spot than it’s been in decades.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Perhaps because of their rarity, aviation incidents (or near accidents) tend to generate headlines and hand-wringing.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 4 May 2026
And for all the hand-wringing that this game provided — with the possible loss of NBA Draft lottery odds should the Warriors win on Friday — to have seen genius once again is something that cannot be taken for granted.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Publicly, without hand-wringing.
—Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
The community hand-wringing picked up when the Bills began charging $8,000-$50,000 annually per patron on PSLs for club seats.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Those who haven’t purchased trip insurance, can’t avoid the flight or have to travel out of necessity are going to be doing a lot of hand-wringing before the airport.
—Beth Collums, AJC.com, 3 Apr. 2026
There’s been a fair bit of hand-wringing in college basketball circles about the lack of Cinderella stories in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 11 May 2026
And despite the offseason hand-wringing, baseball’s in a better spot than it’s been in decades.
—Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Perhaps because of their rarity, aviation incidents (or near accidents) tend to generate headlines and hand-wringing.
—Zach Wichter, USA Today, 4 May 2026
And for all the hand-wringing that this game provided — with the possible loss of NBA Draft lottery odds should the Warriors win on Friday — to have seen genius once again is something that cannot be taken for granted.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
Publicly, without hand-wringing.
—Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
The community hand-wringing picked up when the Bills began charging $8,000-$50,000 annually per patron on PSLs for club seats.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Those who haven’t purchased trip insurance, can’t avoid the flight or have to travel out of necessity are going to be doing a lot of hand-wringing before the airport.
—Beth Collums, AJC.com, 3 Apr. 2026
There’s been a fair bit of hand-wringing in college basketball circles about the lack of Cinderella stories in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Another reasonable worry is energy.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
-
With one less worry – a safe home – Denise can now imagine a future for her family.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Accessibility Rooms for those with mobility needs are in place, and the fitness club, pool, spa, and public bathrooms also address accessibility concerns.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 May 2026
-
Since then, a growing number of cities have opted to further regulate e-bikes, citing a growing number of incidents and safety concerns.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Renter Mandy Feng, who prefers to use a pseudonym for fear of being seen criticizing the authorities, said the stimulus the government is offering has failed to offset people’s anxiety over an uncertain economic outlook.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
As anyone who deals with anxiety knows, one of its chief triggers is uncertainty.—
Tom Dotan,
Vanity Fair,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
Its candor incited a small-scale moral panic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The events triggered a sense of panic among Democrats.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Annah’s resulting anguish is so uncomfortable for the others, that Ibrahim and Jacques practically come to blows.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
Yet masculinism also functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo—whatever that currently is.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Renter Mandy Feng, who prefers to use a pseudonym for fear of being seen criticizing the authorities, said the stimulus the government is offering has failed to offset people’s anxiety over an uncertain economic outlook.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
-
China's exports gathered pace in April as factories scrambled to meet surging overseas demand from foreign buyers stockpiling goods as the Iran fanned fears of higher input costs.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Advertisement Xi’s invocation of Thucydides’ Trap comes at a time when tensions between the rival superpowers could boil over on any of a number of issues, from trade to AI to Taiwan.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
15 May 2026
-
Senator Peter Welch framed the same tension through affordability, arguing that the system increasingly shifts costs, complexity and administrative burden across institutions while patients experience rising anxiety and diminishing visibility into how care decisions are made.—
Demetri Giannikopoulos,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
In desperation, Layla calls her estranged sister Shams (Abeer Mohammed), living in territory governed by the other side.—
Jay Weissberg,
Variety,
17 May 2026
-
On her third match point, Svitolina dug a ball out of the corner, chased one down near the service line, then charged the net and blocked the final ball past Gauff with a desperation stab.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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