cringed

VERB

flinch, recoil from danger

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cower kneel quiver tremble wince

STRONG

blench crawl crouch dodge duck grovel quail shrink shy start stoop

WEAK

draw back eat dirt

Antonyms

STRONG

face meet stretch

WEAK

come forward

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Like almost every parent, I cringed whenever my child or another player headed the ball.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

“I cringed at being a sacrificial pawn in their game of relationship chess,” Davis writes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2026

The lead lawyer for Google "visibly cringed" when the specific share of ad revenue sent to Apple was revealed, according to Bloomberg.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2023

He cringed and added, “I would never say, ‘Grab my guitar, strumming with all my might.’”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 6, 2023

The squirrel scowled at her, and Seven cringed.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega