as in twitching
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Dissimilar Words
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
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of writhing
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Rookie catcher Jesus Rodríguez was drilled by a 95 mph sinker in the bottom of the seventh, writhing in pain for several moments but ultimately staying in the game to run.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
After a few minutes, your eyes gradually adjust, and the performers, the maybe-lovers, come into view, flesh on the ground, writhing and making out and embracing.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026
No one concerned that this woman was clearly writhing in pain.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Both men were down, writhing in pain once again.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Their struggle has upturned the tabletop candle that illuminates the scene and any moment will surely extinguish it, effacing the giddy pattern formed by the writhing bodies and glowing, veiny bladder skin.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
The result left Adebayo writhing in pain, having to be helped off the court, unable to return.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Adebayo stayed down on the court writhing in pain, forcing the Heat to call a timeout.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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
Verb
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of Huntington's disease can include involuntary jerking or writhing movements, muscle rigidity or contracture, slowed or unusual eye movements, difficulty walking or maintaining balance, and trouble with speech or swallowing.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Rookie catcher Jesus Rodríguez was drilled by a 95 mph sinker in the bottom of the seventh, writhing in pain for several moments but ultimately staying in the game to run.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 May 2026
After a few minutes, your eyes gradually adjust, and the performers, the maybe-lovers, come into view, flesh on the ground, writhing and making out and embracing.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 8 May 2026
No one concerned that this woman was clearly writhing in pain.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Both men were down, writhing in pain once again.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
Their struggle has upturned the tabletop candle that illuminates the scene and any moment will surely extinguish it, effacing the giddy pattern formed by the writhing bodies and glowing, veiny bladder skin.
—Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
The result left Adebayo writhing in pain, having to be helped off the court, unable to return.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Adebayo stayed down on the court writhing in pain, forcing the Heat to call a timeout.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhing
Noun
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Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
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During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Customers also appreciated the easy setup, with one person commenting that weaving the leaves throughout the macramé details helped create a fuller, more natural look.—
Kate Donovan,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
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Variety spoke with Levy and Bright about the decision behind weaving Dean and Allie into Season 1, the NIL landscape that forced their hand on some of the book’s most popular plot points and what Hunter Davenport’s early arrival signals about where this show is going.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The veterans, of course, are terrific with one later episode set on a plane that finds Mulligan in top squirming form.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Like him, Rue is squirming under Laurie’s thumb, anxious to get out.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Giant titanium face sculptures from previous installations reappear among the vessel surfaces, while elongated, twisting faces hang throughout the space.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Bystander video posted to Facebook showed two jets making contact in the air, then twisting and careening in the sky before hitting the ground and erupting in a plume of dirt and fire.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
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As the court moved to watch the KSTU-TV segment, Tyler Robinson appeared to begin fidgeting, with one of his hands moving and rubbing his fingers back and forth.—
Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Despite his caution, his fiddling provoked several rips.—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
27 Apr. 2026
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Colorado’s lone goal was a result of some Matt Wells tactical fiddling — and Keegan Rosenberry playing like his job’s on the line — gone right.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Cubs did just enough to scratch a run across against Braves lefty Chris Sale, and the bullpen kept tossing up zeros en route to a 2-0 victory to snap a four-game losing streak.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
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Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is suspected of tossing a rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal — one of the rarest marine mammals on earth — on May 5 in an incident that was caught on camera by locals.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Working from his own screenplay, Cronin barrels over the gaping plot holes — a doctor might have some thoughts here — and gets to the good stuff with the family at home in squirm-inducing close quarters, a live-in demon resting in her bedroom.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Visibly anxious and more than a little drunk, Emma proceeds to offer up a confession that marks the point of no return in writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s divisive squirm comedy.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Writhing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhing. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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