writhed

verb

past tense of writhe
1
as in twisted
to cause to twine about one another tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements writhing in pain from his injuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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
  1. twisted
  2. twitched
  3. braided
  4. squirmed
  5. plied
  6. fidgeted
  7. entwined
  8. tossed
Verb
  • After a fan interfered with the ball, resulting in an automatic out, Bericoto turned away to avoid being hit in the face but twisted his knee.
    — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Auf der Maur, in white, is twisted away from the audience, staring intently at the lens.
    — Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 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
  • Her glossy hair, braided into two plaits, hung down over her shoulders in a style unusual for young girls these days.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Rebecca wore her simple weekday covering over her hair, which had been pulled back in a ponytail, then braided and pinned up on the back of her head.
    — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 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
Verb
  • While Louis created countless memorable costumes for the screen, his legacy remains forever entwined with Monroe’s illusion gown.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 16 Aug. 2026
  • The consequences aren’t just ecological; trout fishing is closely entwined with the economy in many Rocky Mountain communities.
    — Matthew Brown, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of entwined
Verb
  • Minutes later the finalists will fight to stay on the back of 2,000-pound animals with names like Man Hater and Buck Nasty for eight excruciating seconds, and then dodge the bull's hooves and horns when they're tossed to the ground.
    — Christine Lennon, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Martina tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, only allowing two hits and two walks in the international finale.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of tossed

Browse Nearby Words

writhe
writhed
writhes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Writhed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhed. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All