HAND-WRINGING Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

hand-wringing

noun

Definition of hand-wringing

as in worry

disapproving worried talk or behavior There has been a lot of silly hand-wringing over the latest hike in interest rates.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hand-wringing Ocasio-Cortez’s choice to share her egg-freezing publicly has kicked off furious debate and confused hand-wringing among conservatives. — Anna Russell, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026 New baby 3, fifth draft… In between, much hand-wringing, catastrophising, drinking of wine, learning of nursery rhymes. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026 This has no relevance to anything, but Malcolm’s hand-wringing about the cat’s mental health is just so revealing there. — Merve Emre, The New York Review of Books, 11 Aug. 2026 Deployment is no longer the constraint, and that is a real accomplishment that gets lost in the ROI hand-wringing. — Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hand-wringing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing

Noun

The euro sank to its lowest level against the dollar since May 2025 over Spain’s snap elections added to mounting fiscal and political worries across the region.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Such strong growth is what’s allowed stocks to rally near records despite a long list of worries and challenges.

— Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of worry

Noun

Bird has concerns, particularly around the build-up of power around technological advancements, which push the film into surprising and exciting dystopian directions.

— Zac Ntim, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
By that point, family members of those on board had raised concerns about dwindling food supplies and low morale.

— Mosheh Gains, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of concern

Noun

The Social Reckoning stars Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White each had their own unique anxieties about following up 2010’s beloved The Social Network.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
The unrest followed days of clashes in Liège, where more than 200 people were arrested, while demonstrators in Brussels described growing anxiety over the cost of daily life.

— Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxiety

Noun

Perhaps more relevant, these concerns arrived hundreds of billions of investment dollars prior to the latest AI-extinction panic.

— Michael Serazio, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
Liz has written a lot about the panic in private credit being overblown, but there are some real questions about the quality of its loans — from regulators, not just us in the press.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of panic

Noun

Fallout from the data sale Then there are fears this case may set precedent or have long-term consequences for workers.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
Hours of silence and speculation in the aftermath added to a sense of fear in Saudi Arabia and across the region.

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of fear

Noun

The killing of a woman in Okinawa has sparked an outcry across Japan and inflamed long-simmering tensions over the US military presence on the island.

— Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 7 Oct. 2026
The long sleeves of the blazer included a bevy of thin, frayed feathers that created textural tension.

— Julia Teti, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of tension

Noun

Without the timeout, where New York could have advanced the ball to midcourt, Stewart missed a desperation shot at the buzzer.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
Yet seemingly out of desperation, the nominees also have included total head-scratchers like Coldplay, Florence + the Machine, Matchbox Twenty, the Eagles — the fuckin’ Eagles, man!

— Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of desperation

Browse Nearby Words

handwringers

hand-wringing

handwriting

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hand-wringing

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

galore

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes