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.
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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
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Organizational dysfunction, the most crucial worry.Jacob Robinson, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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Allowing just nine points to the Minnesota Vikings was a tremendous leap forward; the only worry is if the bye week will cool down what might just be the best offense in the league.Fox News Staff, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Trump has also expressed opposition to a looming ban on TikTok after earlier having supported a law requiring its Chinese parent company to divest its U.S. operations over national security concerns.Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 17 Jan. 2025
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TikTok, for instance, is set to be banned in the U.S. starting on Sunday due to national security concerns.Evan Clark, WWD, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The situation caused Campbell a lot of anxiety, but became a pivotal shift in her perspective.Kait Hanson, Glamour, 18 Jan. 2025
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Then the widespread anxiety spurred by a wave of high-profile robberies and the deadly home-invasion of Jacqueline Avant.Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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People who are impacted by natural disaster may feel a strong sense of grief, panic, loss, fear and sadness, according to the University of Houston's Department of Psychology.Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 17 Jan. 2025
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By the end of the 90-minute debate, those who had been able to bear sticking around were in a panic.Annie Karni, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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However, numbers cannot articulate the magnitude of anguish as the disaster upends families and dismantles livelihoods.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
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The stark destruction has brought him to his knees in prayer and anguish.Andrea Riquier, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The bitcoin price dropped to around $92,000 per bitcoin, restarting a sell-off that had lost steam earlier this week amid fears of a looming bitcoin price crash.Billy Bambrough, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
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Two donors traveling with the program faced a deeper fear, grappling with the reality that their home in the fire zone might not withstand the flames — a fear later confirmed.Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Not only were there some creative differences between the film's director and writer, David Goyer and New Line Cinema, but there were also some tensions on set.Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
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There was also a prolonged drought, a nasty port strike and constant tensions between locals and Dust Bowl immigrants over impacts on social services.Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
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An air of desperation hung over a handful of Premier League clubs last summer.Philip Buckingham, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
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His words resonate deeply in a region where many, driven by desperation for a better life, risk their lives swimming or sailing across the perilous 25-mile Strait of Gibraltar to Spain—a journey that all too often ends in tragedy.Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near hand-wringing
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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