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Writhe wound its way to us from the Old English verb wrīthan, meaning “to twist,” and that ancestral meaning lives on in the word’s current uses, most of which have to do with twists of one kind or another. Among the oldest of these uses is the meaning “to twist into coils or folds,” but in modern use writhing is more often about the physical contortions of one suffering from debilitating pain or attempting to remove oneself from a tight grasp (as, say, a snake from a hawk’s talons). The word is also not infrequently applied to the twisting bodies of dancers. The closest relation of writhe in modern English lacks any of the painful connotations often present in writhe: wreath comes from Old English writha, which shares an ancestor with wrīthan.
Examples of writhe in a Sentence
Damon Wise, Deadline, 18 June 2025
Some writhed in pain while others worried about their friends who were burned worse.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 3 June 2025
The Royals executed the inning-ending double play but India was writhing in pain.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 18 May 2025
In a world of neon, glitter and stiletto boots, Cyrus writhes against walls and struts down sidewalks, notably the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for writhe
Cite this Entry
“Writhe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writhe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
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