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
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
Meanwhile, Tess is hiding behind records, writhing on the ground, directing Anna with sexy cues.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 7 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 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
Meanwhile, Tess is hiding behind records, writhing on the ground, directing Anna with sexy cues.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhing
Verb
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While critical local and Indigenous knowledge is recognized in the report, it is largely excluded from assessments, both because weaving it with conventional scientific analysis is difficult or because communities may choose to protect certain knowledge.—
Jessica Beaudette,
The Conversation,
11 Oct. 2025
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This invisible, climate-polluting gas can escape into the water through fissures in the sea floor, often revealing itself with a stream of bubbles weaving their way up to the ocean surface.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Subaru’s rural test site didn’t lend itself to the stop and go city driving where hybrids shine, but the Crosstrek’s extra power was apparent on twisting mountain roads.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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When the sprouts are 5 to 6 inches long, remove the slips by twisting them off the potato or cutting the potato into sections between each sprout.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.—
Laura Poppick,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Aug. 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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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
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Life’s hard enough, and if facial fiddling is music to your ears, have at it.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to one week; rewarm before tossing or brushing on any protein.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
5 Oct. 2025
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Several men at the docks made a great show of tossing all the luggage from man to man to man, then piling it neatly on the shore.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 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
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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 14 Oct. 2025.
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