WRITHE Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

writhe

verb

ˈrīt͟h

Definition of writhe

as in to weave

to cause to twine about one another tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to squirm

to make jerky or restless movements writhing in pain from his injuries

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of writhe In the opening minutes, a crunching collision in front of the goal between Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku and Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand left Beiranvand writhing on the grass for several minutes, holding his face. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 22 June 2026 The process involves a writhing dance that looks a lot like the dance that male and female sunfish perform with each other prior to breeding. — Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 Adams, for one, spent a fair portion of the first half on the grass, writhing in pain. — Sean Gregory, Time, 20 June 2026 Even as Chisholm spent several minutes on the ground writhing in pain, a few of his teammates, including Judge, Grisham and Clarke Schmidt, couldn’t help but smirk at his misfortune. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for writhe

Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhe

Verb

The hotel’s design concept weaves a story around the fictional historic Lamarck University, an homage to the French evolutionary theorist, which was supposedly founded in 1894, then abandoned in the 1940s, and ultimately restored by Marriott.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
For around 20 minutes, the pilot weaved his cheeky confession in clear loops above the Dee estuary, leaving an unmistakable signature in the sky.

— Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of weave

Verb

But the real pleasure is the 303 basslines that squirm in between the drums, coating the soundscapes of the tracks in grime and noxious soot.

— Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
With the contact patch sliding and squirming, the brakes had less to work with—and the car took just enough extra distance to end in an impact.

— Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of squirm

Verb

In whatever looping scenario might be chosen, the next step involves twisting a cap on the locking mechanism to take up the slack in the cable.

— Ben Coxworth July 18, New Atlas, 18 July 2026
The beluga came from below and passed in one swooping motion, twisting to display its chest to onlookers.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

Definition of twist

Verb

There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid.

— Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

Whitehead, meanwhile, crystalizes his sense of what makes the city run, where Carney fits in, and how the straight and crooked worlds are entwined in one strange ecosystem with laws that only the lawless can enforce.

— David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Though their characters are not as entwined as their roles in previous projects, Garner was thrilled to be working again with Greer, her close friend of more than 30 years.

— Clarissa Cruz, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026

Definition of entwine

Verb

In addition to having lofty themes, this is also a fairly rousing adventure with enough visual panache to keep any kid from fidgeting in his seat.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 June 2026
A lot of those people have Victoria Baumann and Charlie Moreton to thank, the father-daughter duo behind Victoria Essie Studio that produces fidget toys and other knickknacks out of their homes in North Carolina.

— Jennifer Liu Valentina Duarte, CNBC, 14 June 2026

Definition of fidget

Verb

In a scene that unfolds in slow motion, a canister of tear gas is tossed into the couple’s home, tearing through their veil of domestic bliss.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 July 2026
Dennis in the most unsatisfying way possible — by tossing him off a roof and not even giving Murray Bartlett a chance to wax poetic about life and death — Paula is quickly cleared of all charges.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 15 July 2026

Definition of toss

Verb

Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene.

— Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026
Some were petty — like Reese committing a foul against Clark, then jerking her head back, impersonating Clark as a flopper.

— Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026

Definition of jerk

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“Writhe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhe. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of writhe

verb

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