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
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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
as in twitching
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of writhing
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
Initially, the injury appeared to be serious, and Elliott was writhing in pain.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
The Russians beat him for several minutes, giggling at the sight of their naked, one-legged prisoner writhing on the hard floor.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Tess is hiding behind records, writhing on the ground, directing Anna with sexy cues.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Noun
In the third stage, jerky movements become writhing and rigidity.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2025
Initially, the injury appeared to be serious, and Elliott was writhing in pain.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
The Russians beat him for several minutes, giggling at the sight of their naked, one-legged prisoner writhing on the hard floor.
—Michael Collins, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
Meanwhile, Tess is hiding behind records, writhing on the ground, directing Anna with sexy cues.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhing
Verb
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Here, Eady speaks with Deadline about the fun of weaving a fantastical and spiritual tale about the real threats of land loss and economic hardships in the Black community.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
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Guzman fell in love with the way Williams captures the beauty of everyday life, weaving humor, heartache and joy into a story that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
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Koberidze opens with a montage of cats, foot traffic, street dogs twitching in their sleep, statues and trees casting long shadows across buildings.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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No, just experience twisting her hair into a bun and tucking the ends underneath.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
12 Sep. 2025
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This can be something forceful falling or pressing on the toe or twisting it in an awkward manner.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.—
Laura Poppick,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Applause intermingled with tears as the families of the Camp Mystic campers and counselors looked on, many with small children fidgeting in their Sunday-best attire behind the governor.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Aug. 2025
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Life’s hard enough, and if facial fiddling is music to your ears, have at it.—
Valerie Monroe,
Allure,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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During that span, Browning went 4-3 as the team’s starter while tossing 12 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.—
Kambui Bomani,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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After tossing a few MAGA hats to the crowd, Kirk sat down under the canopy to take questions.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Even the normally surefire element of a score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with its blasts of dissonance pumping up the squirm factor, adds to the heavy-going effect of a movie that seems to go out of its way to be grating.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
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That kind of thing makes a checker squirm.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Writhing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhing. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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