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
But the weekend gathering wasn’t all hand-wringing and liquid refreshment.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Despite one spectacular, pulse-pounding aerial sequence that will take your breath away near the finale, and a brilliant, hand-wringing scene underwater in a sunken submarine, the eighth and perhaps final entry in a franchise that has provided a bounty of escapist thrills is a shrug of a movie.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Huang’s unapologetic stance on AI is bracing in its way, especially in contrast with the public hand-wringing of many AI chieftains, fretting about the dangers of their LLMs while continuing to develop them.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The latest round of hand-wringing on AI was set off last week when Alibaba’s co-founder said the rush to erect new facilities is getting ahead of demand for AI services.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Ironically, the film is tracking rather nicely for a March release despite all the hand-wringing and hubbub, with Snow White likely debuting at $50 million to $56 million domestically, according to a leading tracking service.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
There's obviously been a lot of hand-wringing over how Democrats treated the State of the Union address.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2025
When it was published a few years ago in The Believer, the essay prompted much hand-wringing about AI and creativity, separating the collaborationists from the resistance.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
Throw in concerns about youth crime, and the hand-wringing becomes positively deafening.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025
Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Despite one spectacular, pulse-pounding aerial sequence that will take your breath away near the finale, and a brilliant, hand-wringing scene underwater in a sunken submarine, the eighth and perhaps final entry in a franchise that has provided a bounty of escapist thrills is a shrug of a movie.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Huang’s unapologetic stance on AI is bracing in its way, especially in contrast with the public hand-wringing of many AI chieftains, fretting about the dangers of their LLMs while continuing to develop them.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The latest round of hand-wringing on AI was set off last week when Alibaba’s co-founder said the rush to erect new facilities is getting ahead of demand for AI services.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Ironically, the film is tracking rather nicely for a March release despite all the hand-wringing and hubbub, with Snow White likely debuting at $50 million to $56 million domestically, according to a leading tracking service.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
There's obviously been a lot of hand-wringing over how Democrats treated the State of the Union address.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2025
When it was published a few years ago in The Believer, the essay prompted much hand-wringing about AI and creativity, separating the collaborationists from the resistance.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
Throw in concerns about youth crime, and the hand-wringing becomes positively deafening.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Those worries vanished when she was accepted to Yale University.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
-
Fear of falling behind That worry of falling behind is something many men are wrestling with, according to a recent report by the Speaking with American Men (SAM) project, a new effort aimed at helping Democrats better reach and connect with young men.—
Elena Moore,
NPR,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
On May 25, Korie took to social media to share Phil's passing after months of health concerns.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
-
Supplement Delivery Formats Get a Modern Makeover The Vitamin Shoppe’s report found that 69 percent of Americans take supplements with energy, immunity, cognition and bone health as key areas of concern.—
Emily Burns,
Footwear News,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
When an industry accelerates this fast, anxiety is sure to follow and a growing number of CEOs aren’t asking whether to build with AI.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Survey respondents’ anxiety over unemployment also declined, but a separate measure of employment trends from the Conference Board dipped slightly, reflecting lingering economic uncertainty.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
He’s been with the UK dating show ever since the beginning, and when word spread that Iain Stirling was leaving Love Island UK, many fans went into panic.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
9 June 2025
-
Not knowing the new rules, there always is definitely a total panic and paranoia all the time.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
Noun
-
Among the thousands left in anguish is Sasha Escalante, a 44-year-old Venezuelan radio producer living in Miami.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
-
Criminalizing them can lead to extended mental anguish.—
Sophie Clark,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Noun
-
Staffers were losing access to the agency’s internal payment system, and officials in the Congo were reluctant to authorize an expenditure, for fear that they would be accused of circumventing the executive order.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
-
Last week, Venetians gathered together to protest the couple's upcoming wedding festivities over fears of disruptions in a city that is already impacted by mass tourism.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
While the Marines are expected to avoid direct engagement with demonstrators, the symbolism of active-duty troops patrolling the streets of Los Angeles has reignited deep political tensions and legal debates over the limits of federal power.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 June 2025
-
Given the state’s history, a lot of tension will arise if uranium mining is allowed to resume in New Mexico.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
Years of economic dysfunction have left the country’s once-thriving middle class in a state of desperation.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
Based on Spoelstra’s success in driving the Heat to and through the playoffs, nothing dramatic needed here, certainly nothing like the Knicks’ act of desperation with Thibodeau.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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