wincing - 3 dictionary results
wince
1
[wins] 
verb, winced, winc⋅ing, noun –verb (used without object)
| 1. | to draw back or tense the body, as from pain or from a blow; start; flinch. |
–noun
| 2. | a wincing or shrinking movement; a slight start. |
Origin:
1250–1300; ME winsen, var. of winchen, wenchen to kick < AF *wenc(h)ier; OF guenc(h)ier < Gmc. Cf. wench, winch1
1250–1300; ME winsen, var. of winchen, wenchen to kick < AF *wenc(h)ier; OF guenc(h)ier < Gmc. Cf. wench, winch1
Related forms:
wincer, noun
winc⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
winc⋅ing⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:
1. blench, quail. Wince, recoil, shrink, quail all mean to draw back from what is dangerous, fearsome, difficult, threatening, or unpleasant. Wince suggests an involuntary contraction of the facial features triggered by pain, embarrassment, or a sense of revulsion: to wince as a needle pierces the skin; to wince at coarse language. Recoil denotes a physical movement away from something disgusting or shocking or a similar psychological shutting out or avoidance: to recoil from contact with a slimy surface; to recoil at the squalor and misery of the slum. Shrink may imply a fastidious or scrupulous avoidance of the distasteful or it may suggest cowardly withdrawal from what is feared: to shrink from confessing a crime; to shrink from going into battle. Quail suggests a loss of heart or courage in the face of danger or difficulty; it sometimes suggests trembling or other manifestations of physical disturbance: to quail before an angry mob.
1. blench, quail. Wince, recoil, shrink, quail all mean to draw back from what is dangerous, fearsome, difficult, threatening, or unpleasant. Wince suggests an involuntary contraction of the facial features triggered by pain, embarrassment, or a sense of revulsion: to wince as a needle pierces the skin; to wince at coarse language. Recoil denotes a physical movement away from something disgusting or shocking or a similar psychological shutting out or avoidance: to recoil from contact with a slimy surface; to recoil at the squalor and misery of the slum. Shrink may imply a fastidious or scrupulous avoidance of the distasteful or it may suggest cowardly withdrawal from what is feared: to shrink from confessing a crime; to shrink from going into battle. Quail suggests a loss of heart or courage in the face of danger or difficulty; it sometimes suggests trembling or other manifestations of physical disturbance: to quail before an angry mob.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To wincing
| wince (wĭns) intr.v. winced, winc·ing, winc·es To shrink or start involuntarily, as in pain or distress; flinch. n. A shrinking or startled movement or gesture. [Middle English wincen, to kick, from Old North French *wencier, variant of Old French guencir, of Germanic origin.] winc'er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Wincing
Win"cing\, n. The act of washing cloth, dipping it in dye, etc., with a wince. Wincing machine. (a) A wince. --Ure. (b) A succession of winces. See Wince. --Knight.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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