cringing

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.

“If you’re cringing about writing one performance review, imagine your manager who has to write 15 of them,” says executive coach Sabina Nawaz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 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

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

For countries still constitutionally joined to the crown, Charles’s coronation arrived with little fanfare, and some cringing discomfort.

From New York Times • May 5, 2023

The picture over the couch caught my eye—the cringing, red-cheeked maiden—and I wondered what Alice was feeling just then.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes