0%

cringing

cringe
C c

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [krinj]
    • /krɪndʒ/
    • /krɪndʒ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [krinj]
    • /krɪndʒ/

Definitions of cringing word

  • adjective cringing servile; obsequious 3
  • verb without object cringing to shrink, bend, or crouch, especially in fear or servility; cower. 1
  • verb without object cringing to fawn. 1
  • noun cringing servile or fawning deference. 1
  • noun cringing Present participle of cringe. 1
  • adjective cringing obsequious 1

Information block about the term

Origin of cringing

First appearance:

before 1175
One of the 8% oldest English words
1175-1225; Middle English crengen, crenchen (transitive); Old English *crencean, crencgean, causative of cringan, crincan to yield, fall (in battle)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Cringing

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

cringing popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 84% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

cringing usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for cringing

adj cringing

  • cowardly — If you describe someone as cowardly, you disapprove of them because they are easily frightened and avoid doing dangerous and difficult things.
  • obsequious — characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.
  • submissive — inclined or ready to submit or yield to the authority of another; unresistingly or humbly obedient: submissive servants.
  • crouching — to stoop or bend low.

noun cringing

  • submission — an act or instance of submitting.
  • passivism — the quality of being passive.
  • nonresistance — the policy or practice of not resisting violence or established authority, even when tyrannical, by force.
  • passivity — Also, passiveness [pas-iv-nis] /ˈpæs ɪv nɪs/ (Show IPA). the state or condition of being passive.
  • defeatism — Defeatism is a way of thinking or talking which suggests that you expect to be unsuccessful.

adjective cringing

  • servile — slavishly submissive or obsequious; fawning: servile flatterers.

Top questions with cringing

  • what is cringing?

See also

Matching words

Was this page helpful?
Yes No
Thank you for your feedback! Tell your friends about this page
Tell us why?