WRITHED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

writhed

verb

past tense of writhe

as in twisted

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 twitched

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

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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 writhed Lesnar smiled as Femi writhed in pain from the multiple finishing moves. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026 While family members and peers in Yuba City waited for more information, Burris writhed deeper into the bus, and responders in Martinez formulated a plan to rescue the people left inside. — Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026 His fingers splayed and writhed like a terrible mandible. — Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026 Ref Bankes initially ignored the wide-eyed protests of several Chelsea players to flash only his yellow card as Garnacho writhed, grimacing on the floor and clutching his left leg. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2026 Doncic writhed below the basket, spending a stoppage of 2-plus minutes with a Lakers trainer kneeling beside him. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026 As a teller activated an alarm and called 911 from under her station desk, Brown writhed on the carpet. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025 Lorde writhed and danced on the b-stage and then launched into her own verse, recorded for the song’s viral remix during the brat-green summer of 2024. — Rachel Scharf, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2025 Tatum clutched his ankle and writhed in agony on the hardwood of Madison Square Garden before being wheeled to the locker room, head in hands. — Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhed

Verb

Alvarez twisted his right ankle Thursday and was out of the lineup Friday, but his issue is not believed to be serious.

— Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Slicing across the pavement, the aircraft struck several vehicles – including one left flipped onto its side and twisted into an arc not unlike the tail fin logo – before sliding to a fiery stop just shy of a parking lot filled with dozens of cars.

— Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of twisted

Verb

Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.

— Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 May 2026

Definition of twitched

Verb

Another is challah, bread that is usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions, which is served as a round loaf at Rosh Hashanah.

— Kathryn Gregory, Louisville Courier Journal, 7 Sep. 2026
And weighty ropes—the sort that might be used to moor a boat—are braided with chains and arranged on the ground in the form of a curving river.

— Carolina A. Miranda, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of braided

Verb

Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 May 2026
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.

— Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of squirmed

Verb

The partnership between two outsiders clawing their way in, joined by an equally canny journalist played by Claire Foy, comes to shape Fleet Street, the London thoroughfare where scribblers plied their trade, in Lamb’s and Murdoch’s images.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
The lakes are medieval peat diggings that were flooded by rising seas in the 14th century, and long plied by cargo boats known as wherries.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of plied

Verb

One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.

— David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.

— Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Definition of fidgeted

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“Writhed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhed. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of writhed

verb

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