Meaning & use
Cringing
Last updated
Showing fear, embarrassment, or excessive submissiveness, often by shrinking or flinching away.
See it in a sentence
He gave a cringing apology, barely able to meet his boss's eyes.
The dog's cringing posture showed it had been punished before.
A note on using this word
In informal internet slang, 'cringing' (or simply 'cringe') has taken on a broader modern sense of feeling secondhand embarrassment while watching someone else's awkward behavior.
Words with a similar meaning
servilesheepish
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. verb
Flinching or shrinking back physically, typically from fear or pain.
She stood there cringing as the dentist reached for the drill.
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