Meaning & use
cringe
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To draw back or tense up in fear, pain or embarrassment.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at, in or from: cringe at the memory.
Patterns
- cringe at something
- cringe in fear
- cringe from something
I cringe whenever I hear my old voicemail.
The puppy cringed in the corner during the storm.
She cringed at his awkward joke.
verbintransitivedisapproving
To behave in a fawning, overly humble way out of fear of someone.
Grammar: Used with before or to: cringe before authority.
Patterns
- cringe before someone
- cringe to someone
He cringed before the angry boss.
Employees cringe to the director in a way that embarrasses visitors.
Don't cringe every time a customer complains.
noununcountableinformalslang
Something so awkward or embarrassing that it makes you wince; the feeling it creates.
Grammar: Informal; used as a noun or adjective-like word: that was pure cringe.
Patterns
- pure cringe
- a wave of cringe
The video was pure cringe.
Watching the old school play was a wave of cringe.
His speech was such a cringe.
Word forms
| third person singular | cringes |
|---|---|
| past tense | cringed |
| past participle | cringed |
| -ing form | cringing |
Common combinations
- cringe with embarrassment
- She cringed with embarrassment at the photo.
- cringe at the thought
- I cringe at the thought of singing in public.
- cringe in fear
- The dog cringed in fear.
- make someone cringe
- His bad pun made everybody cringe.
- cringe-worthy
- The audition was a cringe-worthy disaster.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wince
- Wince is a brief facial reaction to pain or embarrassment, while cringe is a stronger shrinking away.
- flinch
- Flinch is a quick, involuntary start from a blow or sudden danger.
- cower
- Cower means to crouch in fear, always showing real fright.
- shudder
- Shudder means a shiver of horror or disgust, and does not suggest fawning.
Opposites
Word family
- cringeworthy adjective
- so embarrassing it makes people cringe
- cringing adjective
- fawning or timid
- cringingly adverb
- in a fawning or embarrassing way
Commonly confused: cringe or fringe?
cringe vs fringe
A fringe is a border of loose threads or bangs of hair; cringe is to flinch.
Practice
I always ______ when I think of that terrible speech I gave.
Choose one answer.
Cringe means to wince in embarrassment. The other verbs begin with cr- but mean different things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cringe”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.