wince1
[wins]
- to draw back or tense the body, as from pain or from a blow; start; flinch.
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- a wincing or shrinking movement; a slight start.
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Origin of wince1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for wince on Thesaurus.com1. blench, quail.
Synonym study
1. Wince, recoil, shrink, quail all mean to draw back from what is dangerous, fearsome, difficult, threatening, or unpleasant. Wince suggests an involuntary contraction of the facial features triggered by pain, embarrassment, or a sense of revulsion: to wince as a needle pierces the skin; to wince at coarse language. Recoil denotes a physical movement away from something disgusting or shocking or a similar psychological shutting out or avoidance: to recoil from contact with a slimy surface; to recoil at the squalor and misery of the slum. Shrink may imply a fastidious or scrupulous avoidance of the distasteful or it may suggest cowardly withdrawal from what is feared: to shrink from confessing a crime; to shrink from going into battle. Quail suggests a loss of heart or courage in the face of danger or difficulty; it sometimes suggests trembling or other manifestations of physical disturbance: to quail before an angry mob.
wince2
[wins]
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for wince
Contemporary Examples
Memphis begins to pop up in the later chapters, and I wince at every mention because I know that is where the story will end.
The errant flashes of light in your brain depicting this possibility are strong enough to make you wince and want to cry.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in IraqNathan Bradley Bethea
August 31, 2014
“Hey, muffins,” he calls to his children, with a “wince of mortification” at the whole scene.
There was a clicking sound as the cuffs went back on, but not tight enough to make him wince.
Afterward, ABC News reported that Ryan appeared to “wince” as he stood behind his running mate.
Historical Examples
Because she saw him wince when she mentioned Christine, her ill temper increased.
KMary Roberts Rinehart
To talk to this woman of her mother made her wince, but it had to be done.
Quaint CourtshipsVarious
That ball grazed her tail, but she is too old a soldier to wince at trifles.
Micah ClarkeArthur Conan Doyle
How the friends of darkness, how the demons must wince and tremble.
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863Adam Gurowski
He talked of renunciation, but it was with an anguish so keen as to make me wince for him who felt it.
The First ViolinJessie Fothergill
wince1
- (intr) to start slightly, as with sudden pain; flinch
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- the act of wincing
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Word Origin
C18 (earlier (C13) meaning: to kick): via Old French wencier, guenchir to avoid, from Germanic; compare Old Saxon wenkian, Old High German wenken
wince2
- a roller for transferring pieces of cloth between dyeing vats
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Word Origin
C17: variant of winch
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
Word Origin and History for wince
v.
early 13c., winch, probably from Old North French *wenchier (in Old French guenchir "to turn aside, avoid"), from Frankish *wenkjan, from Proto-Germanic *wankjan (cf. Old High German wankon "to stagger, totter," Old Norse vakka "to stray, hover;" see wink). Originally of horses. Modern form is attested from late 13c. Related: Winced; wincing.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper