What is the meaning of cringe?

Draw back, as with fear or pain.
- usage: "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"
- synonyms: flinch, squinch, funk, shrink, wince, recoil, quail
Show submission or fear.
- synonyms: fawn, crawl, creep, cower, grovel

|15 years ago|1.4k views|share |citing

APA	WordNet. (2010). cringe. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/cringe/definitions/1268173
Chicago	WordNet. 2010. "cringe" http://smartdefine.org/cringe/definitions/1268173 (accessed September 20, 2026).
Harvard	WordNet 2010, cringe, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/cringe/definitions/1268173>.
MLA	WordNet. "cringe" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/cringe/definitions/1268173>

Alternative definitions by