cringe

[ krinj ]

verb (used without object)

, cringed, cring·ing.

1. to shrink back, bend, or crouch, especially in fear, pain, or servility; cower: They cringed and bowed before the king.

   She cringed in a corner and started praying.

   They cringed and bowed before the king.

2. to feel very embarrassed or awkward; react with discomfort:

   Some of us cringed at the speaker’s tactless comments.

3. to seek favor by acting in a servile way; fawn:

   He has never cringed to anyone—in fact, he can sometimes be a bully.

noun

1. an act or instance of shrinking back, bending, or crouching:

   The gunshots elicited a cringe of terror.

2. an instance of being very embarrassed, awkward, or uncomfortable:

   Some of his outfits are bizarre enough to induce a cringe or two.

3. servile or fawning deference.

adjective

1. Slang. causing embarrassment or resulting in awkward discomfort; cringeworthy; cringey:

   Her attempt to rap at the talent show was so very cringe.

cringe

/ krɪndʒ /

verb

1. to shrink or flinch, esp in fear or servility
2. to behave in a servile or timid way
3. informal.
   1. to wince in embarrassment or distaste
   2. to experience a sudden feeling of embarrassment or distaste

noun

1. the act of cringing
2. the cultural cringe
   subservience to overseas cultural standards

Derived Forms

• ˈcringer, noun
• ˈcringingly, adverb

Other Words From

• cring·er noun
• cring·ing·ly adverb
• cring·ing·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cringe¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English crengen, crenchen (transitive); Old English crencean, crencgean (unattested), causative of cringan, crincan “to yield, fall (in battle)”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cringe¹

Old English cringan to yield in battle; related to Old Norse krangr weak, Middle High German krenken to weaken

Example Sentences

While marketing gambling to minors across international borders might be an actual crime, it’s well understood what the real crime is in the eyes of an irony-poisoned, meme-consuming council: being cringe.

From Slate

When Cohn later suggests, “Trump reminds me more of myself,” it is hard not to cringe.

From Salon

You might cringe at the word hustle, but that doesn't mean you have to go down a rabbit hole of vapid brofluencers.

From Salon

“I can’t say I’m from Ohio,” he said, referencing the popular, post-ironic replacement slang term for cringe that quickly became oversaturated as more mainstream attention was brought to it, “or I’ll just lose the class.”

From Slate

“She’s gonna look back on it and she’s gonna cringe,” Trump said.

From Salon

Related Words

• cower
• kneel
• quiver
• tremble
• wince