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
Beyond music, the creation of a lifelike AI actress named Tilly Norwood has sparked similarly existential hand-wringing across Hollywood.
—
Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The hand-wringing around the future of NASCAR’s championship format, which divided the fan base and sparked endless debates, will be answered this month when a new system is announced.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
So much for all that hand-wringing.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Here is why hand-wringing should remain tempered.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
There has been much hand-wringing lately about the future of Apple’s senior leadership team as its chief executive and his loyal lieutenants approach traditional retirement age.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025
In the book’s introduction, Kaplan does a bit of perfunctory hand-wringing about the state of the country, arguing that Decca is a model for how to generate empathy in a time of polarization.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
All the recent obituaries for videos are premature, just as all the hand-wringing over the decline of MTV seems extremely postmature.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
Back when the film was released and first became a hit, there was no small part of hand-wringing around Hollywood that Coogler’s deal would set a bad precedent for the studios on a long-term basis.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
The hand-wringing around the future of NASCAR’s championship format, which divided the fan base and sparked endless debates, will be answered this month when a new system is announced.
—Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
So much for all that hand-wringing.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Here is why hand-wringing should remain tempered.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Dec. 2025
There has been much hand-wringing lately about the future of Apple’s senior leadership team as its chief executive and his loyal lieutenants approach traditional retirement age.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025
In the book’s introduction, Kaplan does a bit of perfunctory hand-wringing about the state of the country, arguing that Decca is a model for how to generate empathy in a time of polarization.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
All the recent obituaries for videos are premature, just as all the hand-wringing over the decline of MTV seems extremely postmature.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2025
Back when the film was released and first became a hit, there was no small part of hand-wringing around Hollywood that Coogler’s deal would set a bad precedent for the studios on a long-term basis.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Apple has been caught in the fray on worries that a tight memory cycle will eat into hardware gross margins, given that products such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs heavily use DRAM and NAND flash memory.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
-
There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
So having another person in her space was always a little surprising, even if the curator, gazing at her with his usual mix of mild reproach and gauzy concern, seemed not abundantly different from the empty chair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
While health has always been a personal concern, now there are more ways for leadership to support these habits through intentional programming.—
Serenity Gibbons,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Somehow, this new sensation emitted an awareness of the magnitude in which skateboarding would warp my life, which only ratcheted up the anxiety of blowing it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The news this week that an ICE agent had shot and killed a woman in Minnesota heightened his anxiety.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Witnesses described scenes of panic as flames spread rapidly through the basement level before engulfing the upper floor.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Kaitlin spent the first weeks of her newborn son’s life in a panic.—
Lucas Waldron,
ProPublica,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
However, the announcement has not dispelled the uncertainty or anguish among detainees’ families.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Nacua lay on the turf at Bank of America Stadium, not in physical pain but instead in mental anguish.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The construction plans have generally raised fears that the London complex could serve as a Beijing intelligence hub.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Several Venezuela residents told TIME that the fear of what might be discovered on their phone at a checkpoint has guided their behavior in the days since Maduro's ouster.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Further talks were expected on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, but that could change because of a spike in tensions between the United States and Iran.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
The Minnesota Timberwolves released a statement from its players regarding the rising anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tensions in Minneapolis.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At the time, Luchin told ABC7 that financial desperation following the closure of his Walnut Creek restaurant, Ottavio, played a role in his actions.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Then Jordan Love's desperation heave into the end zone from the Bears 28 was knocked down as time expired to secure Chicago's first playoff win since the 2010 season.—
Jeramie Bizzle,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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