cringe

American  

[krinj] / krɪndʒ /

verb (used without object)

cringed, cringing

1. to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: They cringed and bowed before the king.

   She cringed in a corner and started praying.

   They cringed and bowed before the king.

2. to feel very embarrassed or awkward; react with discomfort.

   Some of us cringed at the speaker’s tactless comments.

3. to seek favor by acting in a servile way; fawn.

   He has never cringed to anyone—in fact, he can sometimes be a bully.

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noun

1. an act or instance of shrinking back, bending, or crouching.

   The gunshots elicited a cringe of terror.

2. an instance of being very embarrassed, awkward, or uncomfortable.

   Some of his outfits are bizarre enough to induce a cringe or two.

3. servile or fawning deference.

adjective

1. Slang. causing embarrassment or resulting in awkward discomfort; cringeworthy; cringey.

   Her attempt to rap at the talent show was so very cringe.

cringe British  

/ krɪndʒ /

verb

1. to shrink or flinch, esp in fear or servility

2. to behave in a servile or timid way

3. informal

   1. to wince in embarrassment or distaste

   2. to experience a sudden feeling of embarrassment or distaste

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noun

1. the act of cringing

2. subservience to overseas cultural standards

Other Word Forms

• cringer
  noun
• cringingly
  adverb
• cringingness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cringe

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English crengen, crenchen (transitive); Old English crencean, crencgean (unattested), causative of cringan, crincan “to yield, fall (in battle)”

Explanation

When you cringe, your body language shows you don't like what you see and hear. You close your eyes and grimace. You may even jerk your body away from the offensive sight or sound, like the old picture of you in an "awkward stage" that makes you cringe whenever you see it. Whether it's a song you hate or someone mentioning an embarrassing moment from the past, you cringe at things that are unpleasant. If you think about the way your body involuntarily flinches or bends in those situations, you won’t be surprised to learn that the word cringe can be traced back to the Old English word cringan, meaning “give way, fall (in battle), become bent.” That’s exactly what your body does when you cringe!

Example Sentences

Cringe at the frustration and infighting as union leaders clash over how to take on the powers that be.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2024

The motto for his campaign for Pennsylvania senator might as well have been "Cringe."

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2022

Cringe is when you feel bad for the person who sent the flowers.

From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2022

Sjón told me that the most exciting event, for young people, was a ritual known as “Hallaerisplanid” — a word that translates, roughly, as “Hardship Square” or, more colorfully, “the Cringe Zone.”

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2022

Cringe, if thou wilt, sue, bend the knee to power.

From Specimens of Greek Tragedy — Aeschylus and Sophocles by Smith, Goldwin

Related Words

• cower
• kneel
• quiver
• tremble
• wince