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
Just this spring, from hand-wringing about the state of the league to, today, a finals that has everyone excited to tune in.
—
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Normally, this time of year for Bay Area residents means blooms of orange poppies, graduation announcements and hand-wringing over the San Francisco Giants’ record.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
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
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
Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Normally, this time of year for Bay Area residents means blooms of orange poppies, graduation announcements and hand-wringing over the San Francisco Giants’ record.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Even Republican leaders expressed worries.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
11 June 2026
-
Flynn wants allied coordination and worries about unilateral overreach.—
Mayra Rodriguez Valladares,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
After years of planning, anticipation, hype and a growing concern over high ticket prices and immigration restrictions, the largest World Cup in history kicks off on Thursday in Mexico City and will run through July 19 across 16 cities in Mexico, the United States and Canada.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
The document also noted additional concerns.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
As Kate Niederhoffer and Jeffrey Hancock note in Harvard Business Review, forced AI adoption amid layoffs breeds resistance, anxiety, and plummeting morale.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
Many children manage anxiety with therapy and medication.—
Kimberly Zapata,
Parents,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Victor Wembanyama protected the rim, San Antonio’s defense crowded every touch and the Spurs spent most of the night making the Knicks look stuck between patience and panic.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
-
Many, perhaps most, existing vaccines could be forced out of the market in the United States, and everywhere else the vaccine panic takes hold, while the development of new shots would become almost impossible.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Its revivification of history — staged simply and vaulted to extremes of anguish and tension by its fine acting — is both chilling and, in a sharp, icky way, often funny.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
14 June 2026
-
Week after week, his digits splayed across his helmet in anguish after passes ticked off his hands and into the grass.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Little signs of humanity appeared in every direction, quietly defusing what could have become a disaster instigated by fear.—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
14 June 2026
-
The event was halted after an hour due to fears about her safety, which distressingly encapsulates a tension that the trans Mayan artist has navigated for years.—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Noun
-
Stark and simple, yet taut with tension—its minimalist layout and precise typography immediately arrest the eye.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
11 Dec. 2025
-
But Thursday’s tensions center largely on the differences in perspectives between the newsroom and its product divisions.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Vegas pulled Carter Hart with about three minutes to go, officially entering desperation mode, but nothing worked, and Nikolaj Ehlers scored an empty-netter to start the party.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Much of what looks like desperation is closer to opportunity and overlap.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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