cringe
to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: She cringed in a corner and started praying. They cringed and bowed before the king.
to feel very embarrassed or awkward; react with discomfort: Some of us cringed at the speaker’s tactless comments.
to seek favor by acting in a servile way; fawn: He has never cringed to anyone—in fact, he can sometimes be a bully.
an act or instance of shrinking back, bending, or crouching: The gunshots elicited a cringe of terror.
an instance of being very embarrassed, awkward, or uncomfortable: Some of his outfits are bizarre enough to induce a cringe or two.
servile or fawning deference.
Slang. causing embarrassment or resulting in awkward discomfort; cringeworthy; cringey: Her attempt to rap at the talent show was so very cringe.
Origin of cringe
1Other words from cringe
- cring·er, noun
- cring·ing·ly, adverb
- cring·ing·ness, noun
Words Nearby cringe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cringe in a sentence
Everyone who engages with The Rehearsal as more than just cringe comedy, which it also sometimes is, will probably get something different out of it.
Not only has “cringe culture” become de rigueur on many parts of the internet, but the group experience involved in bullying or mocking anyone who happens to get categorized as cringe becomes justification for the mocking and bullying to continue.
Feldstein and Owen bring what I assume is an intended blend of romantic foolhardiness, blind horniness and all-around cringe to their banter scenes, and, well, they sure nail that latter quality.
‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’ shows there are limits to how much we can (or should) rehab ’90s tabloid figures | Inkoo Kang | September 1, 2021 | Washington PostNo matter what Tokyo pulled off Friday, however, the response was going to be a collective cringe.
The Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony Was Depressing as Hell | Kevin Fallon | July 23, 2021 | The Daily BeastWith Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld co-creator and “social assassin” Larry David has brought us more than two decades’ worth of cringe comedy based on his privileged life.
The New Class of Comfort TV: 16 Shows to Watch When You Run Out of Friends and The Office | Eliana Dockterman | February 10, 2021 | Time
I would cringe the same way you would if I felt [the depiction was problematic].
Maybe you managed not to cringe at his take on the Bard in Shakespeare in Love, making you a stronger person than most.
Ben Affleck Delivers the Best Performance of His Career in ‘Gone Girl’ | Kevin Fallon | October 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe other one is silly and perhaps because of that even more cringe-worthy.
In hindsight, it is one of the more cringe-inducing campaign promises Barack Obama ever made.
Dem Donors’ Lysistrata Moment on Climate Change | David Freedlander | September 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf the first 12 minutes of game footage released this month is any indication, the writing in Hardline is cringe-worthy at best.
Gamers Want to Game: Video Games Aren't Blockbuster Movies | Alec Kubas-Meyer | August 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe same amount of pride which makes a man treat haughtily his inferiors, makes him cringe servilely to those above him.
The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyre | Jean de La BruyreAnd then, that a thought should knock me prone, and make me cringe—from the mere fact of its lowness and meanness!
Love's Pilgrimage | Upton SinclairThe captives were pale and seemed to cringe from the pale interrogation light.
The Link | Alan Edward NourseMy grand signior, Vouchsafe a beso las manos, and a cringe Of the last edition.
The Plays of Philip Massinger | Philip MassingerBeside a falsify may spoil his cringe, Or making of a leg, in which consists Much of his Court-perfection.
Beaumont & Fletcher's Works (8 of 10) | Francis Beaumont
British Dictionary definitions for cringe
/ (krɪndʒ) /
to shrink or flinch, esp in fear or servility
to behave in a servile or timid way
informal
to wince in embarrassment or distaste
to experience a sudden feeling of embarrassment or distaste
the act of cringing
the cultural cringe Australian subservience to overseas cultural standards
Origin of cringe
1Derived forms of cringe
- cringer, noun
- cringingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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