cringed; cringing
1
: to recoil in distaste
Americans cringed … at the use of a term now regarded as a slur—
William Safire
William Safire2
: to shrink in fear or servility
The terrified animal cringed in the corner.
3
: to behave in an excessively humble or servile way
beggars cringing to tourists for money
4
: to draw in or contract one's muscles involuntarily (as from cold or pain)
… we cringe under the blasting wind …—Charles S. Houston
Charles S. Houston
cringer
noun
slang
: so embarrassing, awkward, etc. as to cause one to cringe : cringeworthy
a cringe moment
cringe comedy [=comedy involving jokes that make people uncomfortable]
It's hard to find a movie from the early 2000s that isn't a little cringe.—theringer.com
theringer.comSynonyms
Examples of cringe in a Sentence
Verb
Many English teachers cringe when their students use the word “ain't.”
I always cringe when I hear that song.
Just the thought of eating broccoli makes me cringe.
The dog cringed at the noise.
Recent Examples on the Web
Erik Kain, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Those who dress up as more traditional, recognizable characters get categorized online as somehow cringe, while those whose costumes require descriptions that would kill a Victorian child claim dominance.
—Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
This doesn’t make the unpredictable stylistic hodgepodge of this album go down any easier for hip-hop heads who grew up loving Hill’s The Warriors but not musical theater, and who will receive much of this as nuclear-grade cringe.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
Barry Levitt, Vulture, 20 June 2024
There is a cringe factor that works and a cringe factor that doesn’t.
—Rosa Escandon, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cringe 
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Verb
The whole scene feels freshly cut from some conversation in an undergrad gender studies class in the year 2024—the kind of conversation said undergrads will someday look back on and cringe over.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Those who dress up as more traditional, recognizable characters get categorized online as somehow cringe, while those whose costumes require descriptions that would kill a Victorian child claim dominance.
—Kate Lindsay, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
But being in your early thirties and playing yourself as a junior high school student and then surrounding yourself with age-appropriate actors who are actually going through that hellish rite of passage brings a whole new layer of cringe and humor.
—Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024
This doesn’t make the unpredictable stylistic hodgepodge of this album go down any easier for hip-hop heads who grew up loving Hill’s The Warriors but not musical theater, and who will receive much of this as nuclear-grade cringe.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Some jokes are uncomfortably cringe and downright inappropriate — a Girls Gone Wild joke in a Muppets movie?
—Barry Levitt, Vulture, 20 June 2024
There is a cringe factor that works and a cringe factor that doesn’t.
—Rosa Escandon, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cringe
Articles Related to cringe
Dictionary Entries Near cringe
Cite this Entry
“Cringe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cringe. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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