cringe
to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: She cringed in a corner and started praying. They cringed and bowed before the king.
to feel very embarrassed or awkward; react with discomfort: Some of us cringed at the speaker’s tactless comments.
to seek favor by acting in a servile way; fawn: He has never cringed to anyone—in fact, he can sometimes be a bully.
an act or instance of shrinking back, bending, or crouching: The gunshots elicited a cringe of terror.
an instance of being very embarrassed, awkward, or uncomfortable: Some of his outfits are bizarre enough to induce a cringe or two.
servile or fawning deference.
Slang. causing embarrassment or resulting in awkward discomfort; cringeworthy; cringey: Her attempt to rap at the talent show was so very cringe.
Origin of cringe
1Other words from cringe
- cring·er, noun
- cring·ing·ly, adverb
- cring·ing·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cringe in a sentence
cringe is best understood as a cousin of camp, though cringe differs from camp in that camp can still be enjoyable on its own terms.
It's from a combination of excessive cringing and sustained weeping.
‘Sound of Music Live!’ Review: The Hills Are Barely Alive | Kevin Fallon | December 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe new muskel-Juden replaces the weak, cringing land-less Jew.
Jonathan Pollard Means Israeli-American Squabbling Instead of Israeli-Palestinian Negotiation | Raphael Magarik | July 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut cheering for the message of self-empowerment quickly shifted to cringing.
In memory, he was reviled as a servile race traitor, a cringing sycophant to white wealth and power.
You could almost hear Kagan, Breyer and Ginsburg cringing every time she spoke.
But when he had finished, Sivert Jespersen, with a cringing smile, said: "I think now we had better sing a hymn."
Skipper Worse | Alexander Lange KiellandA little cringing shrivelled old man stood up in astonishment.
The Daisy Chain | Charlotte YongeIf the partners despised us for our cringing before them they were right; we were a despicable set.
In Accordance with the Evidence | Oliver OnionsHe stopped and looked back at the people cringing in the doorways.
The Stutterer | R.R. MerlissIn those false, fascinating pages he is a consummate scoundrel, "a mere cringing courtier and a pimp."
Court Beauties of Old Whitehall | W. R. H. Trowbridge
British Dictionary definitions for cringe
/ (krɪndʒ) /
to shrink or flinch, esp in fear or servility
to behave in a servile or timid way
informal
to wince in embarrassment or distaste
to experience a sudden feeling of embarrassment or distaste
the act of cringing
the cultural cringe Australian subservience to overseas cultural standards
Origin of cringe
1Derived forms of cringe
- cringer, noun
- cringingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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