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
Publicly, without hand-wringing.
—
Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
Since then, Newsom has repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from cities that don’t deliver reductions in homelessness, spurring clashes with local officials and hand-wringing among homeless services providers nervous about their financial futures.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 8 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
While many workers are hand-wringing over the fate of their careers, there are several CEOs who believe humans will be turbocharged rather than crushed by AI.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Depending on the viewer, the video elicited either admiration, outrage or existential hand-wringing.
—Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Kyle P. Edmonds, STAT, 9 Apr. 2026
Since then, Newsom has repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from cities that don’t deliver reductions in homelessness, spurring clashes with local officials and hand-wringing among homeless services providers nervous about their financial futures.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 8 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
While many workers are hand-wringing over the fate of their careers, there are several CEOs who believe humans will be turbocharged rather than crushed by AI.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Depending on the viewer, the video elicited either admiration, outrage or existential hand-wringing.
—Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Put the worry of blisters behind you once and for all, and step into spring in style with the most comfortable shoes, according to the internet.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Burritt said the upshot is that his company, as a Nippon subsidiary, is freed from worries about geopolitical uncertainty.—
Cory Schouten,
semafor.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
However, boundaries have not been redrawn since the 1971 census, as successive governments delayed the process over concerns about uneven population growth.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Damaging winds and flooding remain the primary concerns for any storms that can form on Thursday.—
Ahmad Bajjey,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Last year’s Public Service Commission flips were a blaring warning sign in a cycle dominated by voter anxiety over affordability and utility costs.—
Greg Bluestein,
AJC.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
For weeks, Hilton and Bianco have led polls while eight prominent Democrats including Swalwell split the support of liberal voters, stoking anxiety among Democrats that the party could end up shut out of the November election.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But in the absence of such attuned and invested adults, these panic responses can be sustained and lead to long-term changes in the way the child’s genes interact, the way the child’s brain develops and functions, and the way the child understands and interacts with others.—
Dr. Andrew Garner,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
-
And on top of all of that, nothing ensues panic quite like losing your cell phone in a foreign country (or anywhere for that matter).—
Michelle Baricevic,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Despite the anguish — often told as a punch line — the winner of the competition offered a glimmer of hope to the nearly 90 attendees live-voting throughout the show via an app.—
Brittany Levine Beckman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The heart-stopping anguish of seeing two West Ham winners scored and then be ruled out only underlined the direction of this match’s one-way traffic.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nearly a quarter of New Orleans residents live in poverty, and the prospect of a substantial windfall for a few hours’ work apparently outweighed any fear of getting into a car that was about to take part in a high-speed accident.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Esther says Kim had shared her fear of Terry Rose well before her disappearance.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The lawsuit comes amid growing tension at the state Capitol between the Opportunity Caucus, made up of centrist Democrats, and the Progressive Caucus.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
This is owing to the high pitch of the notes, the tension of the strings, and the small body of the instrument.—
Tim Parks,
New Yorker,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That was the case not only because of Panarin and Forsberg’s excellence, but because of defenseman Cody Ceci’s last-ditch desperation.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Replying too fast may signal desperation.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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