as in twitching
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1
as in weaving
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
2
as in squirming
to make jerky or restless movements
writhing in pain from his injuries
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Recent Examples of writhing
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Snow was adamant about showing the blood and needles in the film as well as footage of himself writhing in pain on hospital beds and the frustration of waiting hours for doctors to provide adequate dosages of pain medication that can help him.
—Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The string arrangements are lovely, lending every song a measure of uplift and writhing texture.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026
Madonna’s floor-writhing performance of the song at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards was a cultural landmark — or landmine — and fueled her rise to becoming one of the biggest musical acts of the 20th century.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
An agonized woman, writhing and coughing and gnarled by disease, is found in a field on the edge of town.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Lying on the snow, Vonn could be heard yelling and writhing in pain for multiple minutes before medical personnel could reach her.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
The child passed out in a hallway vomiting and writhing, Lee said, only to be offered Tylenol.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Judith Beheading Holofernes, in which the heroine, with just a bit of a wince, is pictured in mid-decapitation of the writhing enemy, anticipates the action thriller.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Snow was adamant about showing the blood and needles in the film as well as footage of himself writhing in pain on hospital beds and the frustration of waiting hours for doctors to provide adequate dosages of pain medication that can help him.
—Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The string arrangements are lovely, lending every song a measure of uplift and writhing texture.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 19 Feb. 2026
Madonna’s floor-writhing performance of the song at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards was a cultural landmark — or landmine — and fueled her rise to becoming one of the biggest musical acts of the 20th century.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
An agonized woman, writhing and coughing and gnarled by disease, is found in a field on the edge of town.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Lying on the snow, Vonn could be heard yelling and writhing in pain for multiple minutes before medical personnel could reach her.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Laocoön and His Sons, an exquisite marble sculpture of the legendary Trojan priest writhing in agony as he’s attacked by sea-serpents, was first unearthed in the early sixteenth-century, the only missing piece his right arm.
—Literary Hub, 10 Feb. 2026
The child passed out in a hallway vomiting and writhing, Lee said, only to be offered Tylenol.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhing
Noun
-
The disease, which gets worse over time, starts with muscle twitching, slurred speech, or weakness in an arm or leg.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
20 Feb. 2026
-
After 10 weeks without food, Muraisi is experiencing involuntary muscular twitching and severe chest pains, according to Prisoners for Palestine, with her doctors warning of possible cardiovascular collapse.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The story, at a distance, features the utmost potential for emotional intensity, but the closer the filmmakers get to weaving an overarching tapestry, the more the individual stories run together in terms of tone and spirit.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
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The jazz polymath wrote, played, produced, and mixed everything on his new solo album, weaving overlapping loops and knotty counterpoints into a dynamic suite of interconnected pieces.—
Mark Richardson,
Pitchfork,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There will be no squirming tonight.—
Addie Citchens,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
In the new iteration that would be Jack and his girlfriend Martha (Elle Fanning), whose introduction to the Taylors is one of many scenes played out with squirming discomfort.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Apply steady pressure while very gently twisting the knife.—
Rai Mincey,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
-
These included moving her handbag from one arm to the other, placing it on the floor or a table, twisting her wedding ring, and applying lipstick without a mirror.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Minimal but purposeful movement, avoiding fidgeting or excessive gestures, shows intention.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Cole, wearing a khaki jumpsuit, spent much of the hearing sitting quietly and attentively as the parties argued, occasionally adjusting his glasses or fidgeting slightly in his chair.—
Gary Grumbach,
NBC news,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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But the mayor’s dramatic tale of his predecessor’s fiscal fiddling was designed with a clear political agenda in mind: both to underline the magnitude of the problem and to identify the villains responsible for this perfidy.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
29 Jan. 2026
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As the options for facial fiddling have become more accessible, the face is increasingly regarded as an image to be perfected.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cornhole toss Set up the sturdy cornhole boards and get to tossing the eight all-weather regulation bean bags.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
So was Korea’s top pitcher in pool play, tossing five innings of one-run ball over two appearances (one start).—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Packed with numerous squirm-worthy scenes and strong commentary on impossible beauty standards, this film is best watched when the clock strikes midnight.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
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Even the normally surefire element of a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with its blasts of dissonance pumping up the squirm factor, adds to the heavy-going effect of a movie that seems to go out of its way to be grating.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Writhing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhing. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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