as in shrinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in wincing
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringing
Verb
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The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants.—
Michael Dorgan,
Fox News,
29 Nov. 2024 -
The trauma of war is ever-present in Honda's vision, which sees citizens fleeing for their lives and cowering in the rubble of their homes.—
Katie Rife,
EW.com,
18 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Cowed by DeSantis, weak and submissive lawmakers unquestioningly approved his culture-war agenda.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2025
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The issue then was DeSantis’ marginalizing of Black voting strength in North Florida, forcing a submissive Legislature to swallow his map of congressional districts — an issue that’s the Legislature’s prerogative.—
Steve Bousquet,
Sun Sentinel,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Some of the more jarring sequences remain amusing despite their brashness: At one point, for example, Mickey narrates a shocking vignette—about a psychopath on Earth who printed multiple copies of himself to carry out grisly murders—with the resigned, wary tone of an office worker.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
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The goat had a resigned look in her eyes as the rancher pressed her udder and aimed a stream of milk into a tall cup.—
Daniel Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent.—
Mohanad Hage Ali,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Nov. 2024
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The young man’s comment was out of line, and my silence felt somehow acquiescent.—
Judith Martin,
The Mercury News,
21 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Hours later, Newsom welcomed Trump to Los Angeles International Airport, where the men appeared deferential to one another despite photographs being taken of the governor’s assertive body language.—
Naomi Lim,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
6 Feb. 2025
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Pinnacle members receive a gold pin, and a few wear it on the ship as a badge of honor and expect deferential treatment from both passengers and crew.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The cotton, subject to EU regulations, is GMO-free, compliant with labor laws, and cultivated using water-efficient farming practices.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Mar. 2025
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Lutnick said Trump is considering excluding sectors that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement’s content provisions.—
Spencer Kimball,Kevin Breuninger,Jesse Pound,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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These prices tend to reflect the higher yielding asking price versus the lower yielding bid price.—
Barnet Sherman,
Forbes,
31 Dec. 2024
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Net interest income for the quarter was $72.2 million, compared to $62.2 million in the previous year, driven by growth in higher yielding loans, primarily from CCBX.—
Quartz Bot,
Quartz,
8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.—
Yasmine AlSayyad,
The New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2023
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After a time, Patterson’s play-it-down-the-middle approach feels less like the remembrances of a Renaissance man and more like evasive, unassertive hedging.—
Mark Athitakis,
Washington Post,
6 June 2022
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Cite this Entry
“Cringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringing. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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