cringe

American  

[krinj] / krɪndʒ /

verb (used without object)

cringes, present (3rd person singular) cringed, past participle, past cringing present participle

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.

---

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

---

noun

1. the act of cringing

2. subservience to overseas cultural standards

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cringer
  noun
• cringingness
  noun
• cringingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• cringing
  present
• cringed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cringe
  simple
• cringes
  simple
• have cringed
  perfect
• has cringed
  perfect
• am cringing
  progressive
• are cringing
  progressive
• is cringing
  progressive
• have been cringing
  perfect progressive
• has been cringing
  perfect progressive

Past

• cringed
  simple
• had cringed
  perfect
• was cringing
  progressive
• were cringing
  progressive
• had been cringing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cringe
  simple
• will have cringed
  perfect
• will be cringing
  progressive
• will have been cringing
  perfect progressive

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

“To be cringe about it, the ’90s babydoll dress wasn’t designed for the male gaze,” says my friend Rachel, a keen observer of Gen X fashion then and now.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026

Anytime I see a word like “bulletproof” — or any of its siblings like “sure thing” or “safe bet” — I cringe.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

Despite Jane Wickline’s delightfully awkward cringe and Sarah Sherman’s delectable insanity, only one “Saturday Night Live” cast member picks up votes this round.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

If you’re letting your friends and family know what you care about in hopes that they’ll feel comfortable sharing that they care, too, you’re doing something far from cringe.

From Slate • May 15, 2026

Scruffy answered with even more frantic barks—the kind that could make even a dog cringe.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• cower
• kneel
• quiver
• tremble
• wince