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
-
Wood’s career was derailed by injuries, leading to worries of hard throwers being susceptible to blowing out pitching arms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
-
The New Jersey Girl and its parent company, The Local Girl Media Group, live on addressing public worries; this one just happened to have stakes for a broader population.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Disney is betting that this universal concern will drive audiences to the film.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
From Lowell to Los Angeles, there are coast to coast concerns about what these data centers can do to the environment.—
David Wade,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
As burnout, anxiety and digital overload continue to climb, many are discovering that recovery requires doing less—not more.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
In a neighborhood sometimes marked by gangs and violence, and in a time of heightened anxiety over immigration enforcement, the Fiesta Back of the Yards acts as a beacon of light, offering food, social services, music and fun in a safe environment.—
Allison Kiehl,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
With the rise of tablets and tech worldwide, toys have begun to become obsolete, causing mass panic among toys.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
-
Brokers often list speculative tickets for those tours before an on-sale even starts, hoping some more desperate fans will buy in a panic.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Canada’s first-ever World Cup win was overshadowed yesterday when midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a broken leg after a tackle that left teammates shaken and coach Jesse Marsch lamenting an injury that turned a night of celebration into one of anguish.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
-
Lost in the Brazilian tears, anguish and confusion was just how clinical the Germans had been.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
As Kennedy and Bessette spend more time together and grow closer, her intimidation of the spotlight and fear of invasive paparazzi often create tension in their relationship, despite his attempts to calm the situation.—
Gerrad Hall,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
-
Throughout the whole battle, that’s when fear really sets in for Jace.—
Sean T. Collins,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
The tension in these tracks are the binding agent for Jane’s fan base — the music is full of contradictions and incompatibilities smashing together that just feel like being young right now.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
-
Civilians in the area have not been instructed to evacuate but have faced checkpoints and tension, with occasional clashes between Israeli soldiers and villagers.—
Melanie Lidman,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
Electing Talarico would be like connecting on one of those last-second, desperation, alley-oop passes in the end zone.—
Mark Barabak,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
-
This match finally picked up in the second half, reflecting the desperation each side had after losing their opening matches.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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