1
as in weaving
to cause to twine about one another
tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in squirming
to make jerky or restless movements
writhing in pain from his injuries
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in twitching
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of writhing
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year was writhing in pain.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
And four weeks after writhing on the field, head coach Dave Canales told reporters that Corbett’s 21-day practice window will open Wednesday.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025
The result of the hit left the 49ers receiver writhing on the ground.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Court records state one man is writhing in pain from the shooting and the other is struggling to crawl and hobble away from the 21-year-old's vehicle.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 23 Sep. 2025
In markets in the capital Kinshasa, tubs full of writhing white maggots line the alleyways, and women traders fry caterpillars, spiced with chili, over charcoal fires.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
In the third stage, jerky movements become writhing and rigidity.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
The Russians beat him for several minutes, giggling at the sight of their naked, one-legged prisoner writhing on the hard floor.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Noun
The writhing mass was remarkably powerful.
—Katie Thornton, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year was writhing in pain.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025
And four weeks after writhing on the field, head coach Dave Canales told reporters that Corbett’s 21-day practice window will open Wednesday.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025
The result of the hit left the 49ers receiver writhing on the ground.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Court records state one man is writhing in pain from the shooting and the other is struggling to crawl and hobble away from the 21-year-old's vehicle.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 23 Sep. 2025
In markets in the capital Kinshasa, tubs full of writhing white maggots line the alleyways, and women traders fry caterpillars, spiced with chili, over charcoal fires.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
In the third stage, jerky movements become writhing and rigidity.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
The Russians beat him for several minutes, giggling at the sight of their naked, one-legged prisoner writhing on the hard floor.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhing
Verb
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The builders said the pipeline will follow its pipeline predecessors, weaving across Arizona, New Mexico and California where others already exist, using some existing infrastructure.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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The pattern is described as a decorative textile craft that utilizes knotting instead of weaving or knitting to craft apparel or decorative items.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Picture objects levitating or twitching without external interference—or switching rooms.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Oct. 2025
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The research team pointed out that mapping the material’s performance onto an Ashby chart highlights twisting metamaterials as a promising class of mechanically adaptive, crashworthy materials for advanced protection systems in automotive, rail, aerospace, and defense applications.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Oct. 2025
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Dueling water coaster The water coaster teased for Magic Mountain’s Hurricane Harbor water park would feature a side-by-side inner tube race through twisting drops and high-speed turns.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What happens next in the final minutes of The Vanishing will leave viewers squirming in their seats and hoping against hope for our vulnerable leading man.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
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Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Applause intermingled with tears as the families of the Camp Mystic campers and counselors looked on, many with small children fidgeting in their Sunday-best attire behind the governor.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For those deep in the Apple ecosystem who want headphones that just work without all the fiddling, the Beats Solo 4 make sense with a 25% discount.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Oct. 2025
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Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Job prospects are so bleak that Gen Z is going straight from tossing their graduation caps to years of doom with zero luck.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
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Now the Longs, through Palmer Square and Marquee Development, the real estate arm of the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, are tossing another $1 billion into the mix in three phases.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
-
That kind of thing makes a checker squirm.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Writhing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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