as in flinched
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for winced
Verb
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The last time Congress faced a deadline to extend government funding, Senate Democrats flinched, giving Republicans the votes needed to avert a government shutdown without extracting any concessions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Sep. 2025 -
However, Machado flinched as the ball approached and then zipped past his glove.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Videos recorded by witnesses at the Utah Valley University event showed Kirk being shot in the neck and bleeding heavily as his body recoiled.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
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As detailed in Tina Fey’s 2011 memoir, Bossypants, Jimmy Fallon, who was also in the show’s cast at the time, jokingly recoiled and told Poehler to stop it.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
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“Winced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/winced. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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