wince

verb

ˈwin(t)s 

winced; wincing

intransitive verb

: to shrink back involuntarily (as from pain) : flinch

wince noun

Synonyms

• blench
• cringe
• flinch
• quail
• recoil
• shrink
• squinch

Choose the Right Synonym for wince

recoil, shrink, flinch, wince, blench, quail mean to draw back in fear or distaste.

recoil implies a start or movement away through shock, fear, or disgust.

recoiled at the suggestion of stealing

shrink suggests an instinctive recoil through sensitiveness, scrupulousness, or cowardice.

shrank from the unpleasant truth

flinch implies a failure to endure pain or face something dangerous or frightening with resolution.

faced her accusers without flinching

wince suggests a slight involuntary physical reaction (such as a start or recoiling).

winced in pain

blench implies fainthearted flinching.

stood their ground without blenching

quail suggests shrinking and cowering in fear.

quailed before the apparition

Examples of wince in a Sentence

winced at the movie's graphic depiction of combat injuries

Recent Examples on the Web

By the end of the performance, Andress could be seen tilting her head down, wincing. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2025

The rapper could be seen slapping Rhodes hard on the side of the face, and Rhodes winced as soon as he was hit. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025

Then, midway through the second set, the defending Australian Open champion winced when running down a ball from the Danish No. 13 seed on his backhand side. —Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025

Mindful of the land mines around establishing novel hunting seasons, and wincing over rejection of crane hunting on at least two previous occasions, promoters of the sandhill hunt were intentional about building stakeholder support for a season. —Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wynsen to kick out, start, from Anglo-French *wincer, *guincer to shift direction, dodge, by-form of guenchir, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wenken, wankōn to totter — more at wench

First Known Use

circa 1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wince

• mince
• prince
• quince
• rinse
• since
• convince
• evince

Kids Definition

wince

verb

ˈwin(t)s 

winced; wincing

: to shrink back (as from pain) : flinch

the cut on my leg caused me to wince

the crowd winced when the skater fell on the ice

wince noun