as in shrinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cringing
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
Adjective
-
Your value lies in being pretty, silent, submissive and unfailingly supportive of men.—
Marie Bostwick,
People.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Trump was demanding deference from Zelenskyy to show his inferior and submissive position as a recipient of U.S. aid and military support.—
Shannon Bow O'Brien,
The Conversation,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
His resigned air in the press conference felt like a man who had too much to juggle to cross over the line first.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
In recent weeks, a number of artists canceled planned appearances and resigned positions associated with the center.—
Julia Jacobs,
New York Times,
24 Mar. 2025
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
Adjective
-
The Senate unanimously confirmed Haugh to his post in December 2023, and Republicans and Democrats alike were broadly deferential to him during his marathon testimony last month before the House and Senate intelligence committees.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
-
Newsom’s deferential tone toward far-right guests like Charlie Kirk and Michael Savage—including agreeing with Kirk’s stance on banning transgender athletes from women’s sports—has alienated progressive allies and LGBTQ+ advocates, undermining his reputation as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights[1][7][9].—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s because police have used the state of exception to sweep up street vendors, who’ve been much more compliant with eviction notices ever since.—
Gisela Salim-Peyer,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2025
-
This can be done by gathering data that is 100% compliant and cleansing data regularly.—
Rob Sanchez,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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
Adjective
-
Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative, where an individual tends to give up on their own needs and acquiesce to the desires of others by disengaging from the situation altogether.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Cringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cringing. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share