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.

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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

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

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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)”

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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

See Examples For:

cringe cringes cringed cringing

You often said things that made me cringe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The Canadian comedian, writer and producer Fielder is famous for harnessing the power of awkwardness, cringe and deadpan wit to great, if unsettling, comedic effect.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

“I guess I like cringe comedy,” Kelly says, outing himself as a fan of the awkward comedy duo Tim & Eric.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

But many comments and shares called the video "cringe".

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

I cracked my eyes open, trying not to cringe as the light flooded in.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

He drives a Ford pickup truck and cringes at needing a security detail, according to a person who knows him well.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

With art at the moment, it’s so specific that sometimes it cringes me out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2025

"I was in the studio and Lois texted me, 'By the way, we forgot our anniversary'," he cringes.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025

I'm a loving person who cringes at everything associated with February 14, a fan of democracy who wants to hide every time July 4 rolls around and a very grateful individual who actively dislikes Thanksgiving.

From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2023

No one really cringes if I bump into them anymore, and people borrow my pencils without acting like the pencil has cooties.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio

Like almost every parent, I cringed whenever my child or another player headed the ball.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

I know I’m not the only one who cringed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2024

“Daddy’s home,” someone said, and a nation cringed.

From Slate ● Nov. 16, 2023

The lead lawyer for Google "visibly cringed" when the specific share of ad revenue sent to Apple was revealed, according to Bloomberg.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2023

I cried and cringed instead of standing and fighting.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

"Every time I see it, I'm cringing, I'm in disbelief," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

Anyone beyond the land of candlepin bowling and cringing at red clam chowder thought they had a better shot at finishing at the bottom of the standings than reaching the Super Bowl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

Even some liberal economists are cringing a bit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2023

Reading through these items, I confess, I had a difficult time not cringing.

From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2023

A cringing crater in the sand, and the sea screaming around him.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

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Related Words

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