cringe
verb (used without object)
to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: They cringed and bowed before the king.
cringingly
-
a word derived from
cringe.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Aussie breakdancer who went viral in 2024 for her cringingly bad performance at the Summer Olympics in Paris is the subject of an infuriating new Netflix documentary about the whole ordeal.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
The dialogue in these cringingly hilarious scenes sparks off the page with such vibrancy that I felt as if I were in the room where it happened.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 13, 2022
The first sign that everyone in France will have been looking out for in the debate was whether Marine Le Pen would again be as cringingly awful as she was five years ago.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2022
I was 23 and had cringingly low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, a trifecta that led me to a therapy group that met monthly in Costa Mesa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2021
And he’s a terrible singer—just cringingly, comically bad.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
