✅ Blench means to flinch or shrink back (She blenched at the sudden noise).

✅ Cringe means to shrink back or cower (The scared dog cringed in a corner).

✅ Both of these words mean to make yourself seem smaller, generally out of fear or pain.

✅ Cringe can suggest acting in a servile or obsequious way out of fear and adopting a posture that suggests this way of acting (They cringed in front of the king).

✅ Space refers to a span of time or an area (the space between the buildings; She purposefully left a space for me to speak).

✅ Interval refers to a section of time or physical space between things (The interval between speakers is five minutes; There’s a five inch interval between lines).

✅ Both of these terms refer to gaps between things, particularly in time.

✅ Interval can often sound more formal than space.

✅ Meditate means to think about or reflect on something (I meditated on what color to paint the room).

✅ Ruminate means to ponder something or muse on a topic (I ruminated on what my friend said at the party).

✅ Both of these terms mean to think deeply about something.

✅ Meditate can mean to engage in introspection, particularly in a calming way. Ruminate can mean to think obsessively about something or revisiting the same thoughts (I meditated on the reason for my outburst; I ruminated on the decision I made earlier).