as in worry
disapproving
worried talk or behavior
There has been a lot of silly hand-wringing over the latest hike in interest rates.
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Recent Examples of hand-wringing
There’s been a fair bit of hand-wringing in college basketball circles about the lack of Cinderella stories in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament.
—
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
There’s hand-wringing every year about the Oscars failing to attract younger viewers, but when a category that actually holds some interest to broader Gen Z viewers gets called, it’s treated as an afterthought?
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
While many workers are hand-wringing over the fate of their careers, there are several CEOs who believe humans will be turbocharged rather than crushed by AI.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Depending on the viewer, the video elicited either admiration, outrage or existential hand-wringing.
—Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
There’s obviously a lot of hand-wringing around climbing losing its soul.
—Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
The economic potential is real, but the hand-wringing is overblown.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2026
Despite all the hand-wringing about tampering, the NCAA rulebook classifies it as a Level II violation, not Level I, which usually results in minor penalties.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Beyond music, the creation of a lifelike AI actress named Tilly Norwood has sparked similarly existential hand-wringing across Hollywood.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
There’s hand-wringing every year about the Oscars failing to attract younger viewers, but when a category that actually holds some interest to broader Gen Z viewers gets called, it’s treated as an afterthought?
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 20 Mar. 2026
While many workers are hand-wringing over the fate of their careers, there are several CEOs who believe humans will be turbocharged rather than crushed by AI.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Depending on the viewer, the video elicited either admiration, outrage or existential hand-wringing.
—Holly Willis, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2026
There’s obviously a lot of hand-wringing around climbing losing its soul.
—Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
The economic potential is real, but the hand-wringing is overblown.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2026
Despite all the hand-wringing about tampering, the NCAA rulebook classifies it as a Level II violation, not Level I, which usually results in minor penalties.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Beyond music, the creation of a lifelike AI actress named Tilly Norwood has sparked similarly existential hand-wringing across Hollywood.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Some of Bondi's allies believe that the lack of prosecutions is attributable to Blanche, who has not pushed them too hard amid political concerns and worries about his future after his Justice Department career.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The electric carmaker last week reported its first decline in annual profit since 2022, but worries over rising gasoline prices has boosted its business.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Clicking into the title will give you even more information, including a blurb about what parents need to know, a breakdown of potential concerns and positive qualities about the book, and reviews from kids.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Gables leaders have raised concerns during city meetings about the potential impact.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Amid record anxiety about the future of work—and growing warnings about the potential erosion of white-collar careers—one unlikely field may be getting the last laugh.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Drone use is heavily limited by battery anxiety, but without a battery the use cases really open up.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 05,
New Atlas,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Cash in circulation surged 49% YoY due to panic hoarding.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In South Korea, where people have been panic-buying trash bags, the government has encouraged event organizers to minimize use of disposable items.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Large statues of the Virgin Mary show her in various states of mourning, even in anguish.—
Alexis Marshall,
NPR,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Without a diagnosis, people are unsure about how a condition might progress over time, and this can be a great source of anguish for both patients and their families.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her work plainly belongs to this lineage of witchy writers, women whose deliciously corrupted scenes of home and hearth produce fear and wild laughter at once.—
Kristen Roupenian,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
This new strategy recognized that neighborhood fear is not just driven by crimes; it is also driven by neighborhood disorder.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
An intense search-and-rescue effort is underway for the second crew member of an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet that crashed in Iran amid escalating tension in the Middle East.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Starbucks’ $500 million turnaround effort and union tensions The coffee chain’s new pay perks come amid a $500 million turnaround effort and ongoing tensions with unionized workers.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The freshmen went back in forth, but Illinois missed its last three desperation attempts and UConn made five of its six free throws down the stretch.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Deftly drawing from folk, soul, blues, funk and country, Armatrading sings of love lost, won and desired, heady aspirations and quiet desperation, in a deep, richly moving voice.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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