cringey

or crin·gy

[ krin-jee ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. causing a reaction or feeling of embarrassment, awkwardness, or discomfort; cringeworthy:

   The movie brought back my cringey middle school memories.

2. seeking favor by means of servile behavior or flattery:

   His talk show is mostly cringey interviews with celebrities.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cringey¹

First recorded in 1965–70; cringe ( def ) + -y ¹( def )

Example Sentences

It’s not for anyone who can’t stand gruesomeness, or who hates having their heart seize due to explicit sex, surprises, cringey scenes, or jumpy scares.

From Washington Blade

It’s cringey, ridiculous, and makes you wish one of our many compounding extinction crises would just hurry up and take us all, now.

From The Daily Beast

Many have tried to replicate his cringey success—but there will never be another Norm Macdonald.

From Time

Thanks for … imagine some non-cringey alternative to “weighing in.”

From Washington Post

He managed to find a sweet spot of authenticity, with his videos surfing the platform’s meme of the month for surprisingly non-cringey videos that got his name out and, maybe, got the vote out.

From The Daily Beast