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
And those same New York Mets have shown how absurd the hand-wringing has become.
—
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 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
Snapchat would, in fact, be superseded as the political-comms fad du jour, but Democratic hand-wringing about the Party’s visibility in a fragmented attention economy has never gone out of style, and Swalwell has often been seen as an exemplar of how to be everywhere, all at once.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 15 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
There’s hand-wringing every year about the Oscars failing to attract younger viewers, but when a category that actually holds some interest to broader Gen Z viewers gets called, it’s treated as an afterthought?
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 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
Snapchat would, in fact, be superseded as the political-comms fad du jour, but Democratic hand-wringing about the Party’s visibility in a fragmented attention economy has never gone out of style, and Swalwell has often been seen as an exemplar of how to be everywhere, all at once.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 15 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
There’s hand-wringing every year about the Oscars failing to attract younger viewers, but when a category that actually holds some interest to broader Gen Z viewers gets called, it’s treated as an afterthought?
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Kids today have the same worries about careers and friendships that his generation did.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The worry is that the government is throwing taxpayer money at a solution that will not save the airline long-term.—
Donald Judd,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those who have adopted its use for shopping are driven primarily by convenience and efficiency, but many are constrained by concerns around trust and authenticity.—
Amy O’Brien,
Vogue,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Scott’s fellow Democrats ousted him from his post as ranking minority member on the Agriculture Committee in 2024 amid concerns about his age and health.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Mergen said recruitment to the DOJ had become harder over his decades there, as government shutdowns created anxiety about working at the department, and as nonprofits became more competitive in their salaries.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Where academic pressures run high, so does the money and the parental anxiety.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For almost a century, since the dawn of mass screen entertainment, society has passed through waves of panic over media’s effects on children, which have often coincided with panics over the effects of various kinds of mothering.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Last January, a three-day raid in Kern County where undocumented laborers were arrested set off panic in the Central Valley and other farming regions with large immigrant workforces.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sanders suffered injuries, including a concussion, headaches, possible traumatic brain injury, back and tailbone injuries and extreme mental anguish.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Examples include chronic pain, emotional anguish, anxiety, scarring or disfigurement, and the inability to enjoy your hobbies, sports, or daily activities.—
William Jones,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Gábor Polyák, a professor of media law at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, said many in the capital were hearing stories of elderly people in small villages who, since Magyar’s victory, were living in fear.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Among the victims were two boys, ages 12 and 14, whose deaths have rattled their community in Northeast Washington and prompted broader fears about an uptick in gun violence that typically unfolds in warmer weather.—
Marissa J. Lang,
Washington Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Taurus Sun squares intense Pluto in Aquarius, pushing tension between your sense of self and outside demands.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
As Siâvash increasingly retreats into imaginary characters, the documentary traces a sibling relationship shaped and strained by displacement, set against a backdrop of escalating tension between Iran and the United States that carries personal consequences for both subjects.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Instead, Isaac infused him with vulnerability and desperation, turning a small supporting role into something memorable.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
-
That leaves the Dolphins in a spot of desperation at two of the three skill positions on offense.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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