Cringe — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

draw back, as with fear or pain

show submission or fear

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kɹˈɪndʒ/

🇬🇧British English

/kɹˈɪndʒ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/kɹˈɪndʒ/

1 syllable Say it as /kɹˈɪndʒ/.

Examples

she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

fawn cower grovel crawl creep flinch wince funk shrink recoil quail squinch

Parts of Speech

verb	draw back, as with fear or pain “she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf”
verb	show submission or fear

Word Forms

flinch	noun	a reflex response to sudden pain
wince	noun	the facial expression of sudden pain
fawner	noun	someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
crawler	noun	a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
coward	noun	a person who shows fear or timidity
groveler	noun	someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
groveller	noun	someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

schaudern

zurückziehen, wie bei Angst oder Schmerz

🇫🇷French

grincer des dents

reculer, comme avec la peur ou la douleur

🇪🇸Spanish

avergonzarse

retroceder, como con miedo o dolor

🇮🇹Italian

servilismo

tirarsi indietro, come con la paura o il dolore

🇳🇱Dutch

in elkaar krimpen

trek je terug, zoals bij angst of pijn

🇵🇹Portuguese

desgosto

recuar, como acontece com medo ou dor

🇷🇺Russian

съеживаться

отступить, как при страхе или боли

India

🇮🇳Hindi

चापलूसी

डर या दर्द की तरह पीछे हटना

🇧🇩Bengali

কাঁপানো

ভয় বা ব্যথার মতো পিছিয়ে নিন

🇮🇳Tamil

பயமுறுத்தும்

பயம் அல்லது வலியைப் போல பின்வாங்கவும்

🇮🇳Telugu

కుంగిపోతారు

భయం లేదా నొప్పి వలె వెనుకకు లాగండి

🇮🇳Marathi

रिंगण

भीती किंवा वेदनांप्रमाणे मागे घ्या

🇮🇳Gujarati

આર્જવ

પાછા ખેંચો, જેમ કે ભય અથવા પીડા સાથે

🇮🇳Kannada

ಭಯಭೀತರಾಗುತ್ತಾರೆ

ಭಯ ಅಥವಾ ನೋವಿನಂತೆ ಹಿಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಎಳೆಯಿರಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിറയ്ക്കുക

ഭയമോ വേദനയോ പോലെ പിന്നോട്ട് വലിക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਚੀਕਣਾ

ਵਾਪਸ ਖਿੱਚੋ, ਜਿਵੇਂ ਕਿ ਡਰ ਜਾਂ ਦਰਦ ਨਾਲ

🇵🇰Urdu

کرج

پیچھے ہٹنا، جیسا کہ خوف یا درد کے ساتھ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

畏缩

退缩，如恐惧或痛苦

🇯🇵Japanese

うんざりする

恐怖や痛みのように、後ずさりする

🇰🇷Korean

움츠리다

두려움이나 고통을 느끼듯이 뒤로 물러난다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

co rúm lại

rút lui, như với sự sợ hãi hoặc đau đớn

🇹🇭Thai

หดหนี

ถอยกลับ เช่นเดียวกับความกลัวหรือความเจ็บปวด

🇮🇩Indonesian

jijik

mundur, seperti ketakutan atau rasa sakit

🇵🇭Filipino

umikot

umatras, tulad ng takot o sakit

🇲🇾Malay

kecut perut

berundur, seperti ketakutan atau kesakitan

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ينكمش

التراجع، كما هو الحال مع الخوف أو الألم

🇮🇷Persian

کز کردن

مانند ترس یا درد، عقب بکشید

🇹🇷Turkish

utandırıcı

korku ya da acı gibi geri çekilmek

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִזחוֹל

להתאפק, כמו עם פחד או כאב

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'cringe'?

The primary meaning of 'cringe' is 'draw back, as with fear or pain'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'cringe' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'cringe' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'cringe' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'cringe' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'cringe' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'cringe' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'cringe' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'cringe' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'cringe' in a professional email?

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Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'cringe' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted