cringe
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.
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A: When I interview portfolio managers and ask them what they’ve been reading for fun, I always cringe when they recite a list of business books.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Social media users were also split, with one viewer writing that Meghan was "warm, gracious and a delight to watch" while another called Prince Harry's cameo appearance "cringe".
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
He tried to get rid of something that still makes me cringe: Conan’s nipple dance.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
I felt like if I could make myself cringe, then it was working.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
I cringe and look behind me to make sure no one heard it.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
But on the eve of her 22nd birthday, Selines — who speaks in the same honeyed, dulcet tones she sings in — admits that she cringes at the sound of her own teen yearning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
He drives a Ford pickup truck and cringes at needing a security detail, according to a person who knows him well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
"I was in the studio and Lois texted me, 'By the way, we forgot our anniversary'," he cringes.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025
I'm a loving person who cringes at everything associated with February 14, a fan of democracy who wants to hide every time July 4 rolls around and a very grateful individual who actively dislikes Thanksgiving.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2023
Then, as Sasha careens toward him, he cringes and climbs onto his seat.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
Like almost every parent, I cringed whenever my child or another player headed the ball.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
As we showered afterward, I cringed when my hair came away in our hands.
From Slate ● May 23, 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
Sheehan and a few Meow Wolf companions cringed and laughed awkwardly, but they shouldn’t have felt surprised.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
They said she thought she was some kind of saint—I cringed at that—and that she was better than the rest of us.
From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli
Anyone beyond the land of candlepin bowling and cringing at red clam chowder thought they had a better shot at finishing at the bottom of the standings than reaching the Super Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
These lies are so dumb and easy to disprove that the onetime criminal defense attorney in me is cringing.
From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2024
This show, starring Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder as a couple at the center of a home renovation reality series, has had us cringing all season, but we still can’t look away.
From New York Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
And I didn’t want to ruin that moment, so I was just stuck in a different room, laughing and cringing, all that stuff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
She resumed cringing in horror once Mr. Quisling finished copying James’s note:
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Vocabulary lists containing cringe
The Lingo of Body Language
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"Of Mice and Men"
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List 13
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