as in worry
disapproving
worried talk or behavior
There has been a lot of silly hand-wringing over the latest hike in interest rates.
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Recent Examples of hand-wringing
There was a fair bit of hand-wringing entering Tuesday’s contest about where or if Jeff Skinner fit into the equation.
—
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
While hand-wringing Democrats and the media have focused on President Biden, Donald Trump met with Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 18 July 2024
Please, no more contrived hand-wringing and pearl-clutching about the Trump dictatorship.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 July 2024
Since last Monday, when Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer, the seventy-five-year-old monarch has been the subject of both hand-wringing concern and frenzied speculation.
—Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024
Today, that hand-wringing delay has been nearly eliminated.
—Katie Palmer, STAT, 1 Dec. 2023
The combination of the new stadium, hand-wringing fans and — worst of all — disinterested indifference in the community has ripple effects beyond one locker room.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2023
Both episodes benefit from a curiosity about human nature that goes beyond hand-wringing monologues about our capacity for greed or complacency, and an affection for people in all our absurd and messy glory.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2023
For all the hand-wringing Kidd does about getting his team back together, Doncic has played in 57 of 69 games.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023
Daniel Nugent-Bowman, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
While hand-wringing Democrats and the media have focused on President Biden, Donald Trump met with Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 18 July 2024
Please, no more contrived hand-wringing and pearl-clutching about the Trump dictatorship.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 July 2024
Since last Monday, when Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had been diagnosed with cancer, the seventy-five-year-old monarch has been the subject of both hand-wringing concern and frenzied speculation.
—Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2024
Today, that hand-wringing delay has been nearly eliminated.
—Katie Palmer, STAT, 1 Dec. 2023
The combination of the new stadium, hand-wringing fans and — worst of all — disinterested indifference in the community has ripple effects beyond one locker room.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2023
Both episodes benefit from a curiosity about human nature that goes beyond hand-wringing monologues about our capacity for greed or complacency, and an affection for people in all our absurd and messy glory.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2023
For all the hand-wringing Kidd does about getting his team back together, Doncic has played in 57 of 69 games.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
Trade tensions and signs of slowing growth have led to worries that a recession could be looming.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Those worries were only amplified by his State of the Union speech.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA TODAY,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Some studies raise concerns that long-term melatonin use may delay puberty in children and adolescents.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Verywell Health,
17 Mar. 2025
-
The pullbacks in nonessential areas like restaurants and airline travel signals consumers might be turning their concerns about the economy into tighter budgets.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Extreme deficits may lead to obsessive food tracking, anxiety around eating, or disordered eating patterns.—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
19 Mar. 2025
-
The series is less a procedural crime drama than a social portrait diving headfirst into the simmering cultural anxiety around boys and young men in the age of incels, male dislocation, and toxic podcasts.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
That idea—of a grand continuum, in which the circumstances change but all of our big human feelings (heartache, joy, unease, panic, contentment) remain the same, across time and vast distances—felt germane to her new songs.—
Amanda Petrusich,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Mix that with panic, dread, and disappointment from the judges, pack your bags!—
Joey Nolfi,
EW.com,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The first Trump Administration didn’t deliver many material gains to the rural poor—deaths of despair continued to rise, and wages continued to stagnate—but at least Trump spoke to their anguish and seemed outraged on their behalf.—
Andrew Marantz,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Garcia’s damages included physical pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, inconvenience, grief, disfigurement, physical impairment, anxiety and emotional distress, according to a recording of the verdict from Courtroom View Network.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The bottom line: Before the latest wave of volatility and emergence of recession fears, America's most important corporate decision-makers were becoming more wary of the growth outlook.—
Neil Irwin,
Axios,
12 Mar. 2025
-
Two days is a long time on Capitol Hill, so there is still plenty of time for a deal to emerge, but Schumer's statement certainly heats up shutdown fears.—
Allison Pecorin,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Over one of the most powerful bridges in pop history, tension builds as Gaga’s vocals cascade around you.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
-
The rebuke from the Supreme Court's leader demonstrated how contention over recent flights of Venezuelan immigrants has inflamed tensions over the judiciary's role, with a legal case challenging Trump's actions now threatening to spiral into a clash of constitutional powers.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Yesterday’s White House stunt had all the hallmarks of Trump corruption, but there was something else, too—an air of desperation.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2025
-
In desperation, some companies have resorted to tactics like tracking employee badge swipes and VPNs.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
11 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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