cringing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of cringingnext
as in shrinking

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cringing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of cringe
1
as in wincing
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust gruesome crime scene photos that made several jurors cringe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flinching
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the puppy cringed when his master raised the rolled-up newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringing
  1. cowering
  2. submissive
  3. resigned
  4. acquiescent
  5. deferential
  6. compliant
  7. yielding
  8. unassertive
Verb
  • The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants.
    Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024
  • The trauma of war is ever-present in Honda's vision, which sees citizens fleeing for their lives and cowering in the rubble of their homes.
    Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024
Definition of cowering
Adjective
  • The book equates being female with being submissive.
    Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Over time, this dynamic creates a destructive loop, with the dominant partner tightening their grip and the submissive losing their sense of self.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of submissive
Adjective
  • Suddenly, a season of weekly must-win games and hard conversations gave way to a resigned relaxation.
    Paul Dehner Jr., The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Crowds gathering for the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival on the sprawling palace grounds reached into backpacks for umbrellas with the resigned look of people attending a supremely English occasion designed to be held in sunshine.
    Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of resigned
Adjective
  • Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent.
    Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
  • The young man’s comment was out of line, and my silence felt somehow acquiescent.
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
Definition of acquiescent
Adjective
  • Cannon has long been criticized for being unfairly deferential to Trump as the documents dispute has moved forward.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Without any physical proof of his story, police higher-ups won’t let his deferential boss devote any resources to an investigation.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
Definition of deferential
Adjective
  • By contrast, Frazier took on the role of outmoded power, compliant duty.
    Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Relying on donations means that construction materials may not be compliant with building codes and regulations.
    Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 14 Jan. 2025
Definition of compliant
Adjective
  • These prices tend to reflect the higher yielding asking price versus the lower yielding bid price.
    Barnet Sherman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Net interest income for the quarter was $72.2 million, compared to $62.2 million in the previous year, driven by growth in higher yielding loans, primarily from CCBX.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
Definition of yielding
Adjective
  • Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.
    Yasmine AlSayyad, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
  • After a time, Patterson’s play-it-down-the-middle approach feels less like the remembrances of a Renaissance man and more like evasive, unassertive hedging.
    Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 June 2022
Definition of unassertive
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near cringing

cringes (at)

cringing

cringing (at)

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Cite this Entry

“Cringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringing. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cringing

Nglish: Translation of cringing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of cringing for Arabic Speakers

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