as in flinched
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries
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Recent Examples of winced
But at 4-4 in that set, the 22-year-old Spaniard winced after stretching for a volley.
—
Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The hard-drinking, hyper-sensitive Fitzgerald himself would have winced at any of the five adaptations of The Great Gatsby.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Charleigh inwardly winced and froze in place, hand still on the knob.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Even some on the right have winced at the politics.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Russell winced, remembering the backlash.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
The hard-drinking, hyper-sensitive Fitzgerald himself would have winced at any of the five adaptations of The Great Gatsby.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
Charleigh inwardly winced and froze in place, hand still on the knob.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026
Even some on the right have winced at the politics.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
Russell winced, remembering the backlash.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winced
Verb
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But as his show became a pop culture punchline and an enduring ratings force, Povich says the person closest to him never flinched.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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Adi flinched but passed it to him.—
Jonathan Miles,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters Software stocks on Thursday slid deeper into an ongoing intense sell-off this year as investors recoiled from the sector on growing fears that artificial intelligence could upend many firms' business models.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
29 Jan. 2026
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The citizenry has broadly recoiled; her killing, in addition to being a human tragedy, has been a public relations disaster for the administration.—
Michelle Goldberg,
Mercury News,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Host Jimmy Fallon visibly cringed in response.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
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You get cringed out when things are earnest or something, but then the music is a way to channel it.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
25 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Winced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winced. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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