1
as in to wince
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 cringe
That clip, featuring Jennifer rapping along without missing a beat while her daughter cringes, drew another 1 million views and more than 50,200 likes.
—
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
The virality potential of cringe marketing mirrors the explosive popularity of cringe humor more generally.
—Anton Naianzin, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Anybody with any kind of feeling or memory of rolling their ankle is going to physically cringe watching this.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Over the past few years, generational warfare has only ramped up—so much so that it’s become boring to even reference: Gen Z hating on millennials for being cringe, millennials hating on Gen Z for being puritanical, and everyone hating on boomers for being, well, boomers.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cringe
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 May 2025
The virality potential of cringe marketing mirrors the explosive popularity of cringe humor more generally.
—Anton Naianzin, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Anybody with any kind of feeling or memory of rolling their ankle is going to physically cringe watching this.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Over the past few years, generational warfare has only ramped up—so much so that it’s become boring to even reference: Gen Z hating on millennials for being cringe, millennials hating on Gen Z for being puritanical, and everyone hating on boomers for being, well, boomers.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 3 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cringe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringe
Verb
-
Harper crumbled to one knee, wincing in anguish, as Phillies fans quaked with their worst possible nightmare — that their superstar first-baseman is seriously injured.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
Scheffler was seen wincing in pain after his tee shot on the second hole at Colonial Country Club during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Amid tension over OpenAI’s corporate structure, the organization’s corporate development hasn’t so much as flinched.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
30 May 2025
-
Ariane’s first instinctive reaction to her mother’s extended hand is to flinch.—
Stephanie Bunbury,
Deadline,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Here's the news: Some Republicans recoiled at the Trump-Musk feud.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
7 June 2025
-
One poster for the movie depicted classic Disney characters like Pinocchio, Jasmine, Belle recoiling from Stitch in horror.—
Brooks Barnes,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
Snow cowered in the back, avoiding eye contact when Kiersten tried reaching her hand out.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
-
In Europe, Germany’s DAX returned 1.7% and France’s CAC 40 rose 1.1% after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the world’s biggest trade bloc would not cower in the face of U.S. trade demands.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cringe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringe. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share