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   cringe

   /krɪn(d)ʒ/

   verb

   • 1. bend one's head and body in fear or apprehension or in a servile manner: "he cringed away from the blow" Similar cowershrinkdraw backpull backrecoilstartshy (away)winceflinchblenchblanchdodgeduckcrouchshuddershaketremblequiverquailquakeget cold feetkowtowbow and scrapegrovelcreepcrawltoadyfawntrucklecowerbe servile towardsbe sycophantic towardsdance attendance oningratiate oneself withcurry favour withflatterwoopay court toget roundinformal:suck up tomake up tolick someone's bootsbe all overfall all oversweet-talksoft-soapbrown-nosearchaic:blandish
   • ▪ experience an inward shiver of embarrassment or disgust: "I cringed at the fellow's stupidity" Similar wincesquirmblushflushgo redfeel embarrassedfeel ashamedfeel sheepishfeel mortifiedwince with embarrassment

   noun

   • 1. an act of cringing.

   Word Origin Middle Englishcrenge, crenche, related to Old Englishcringan, crincan ‘bend, yield, fall in battle’, of Germanic origin and related to Dutch krengen ‘heel over’ and German krank ‘sick’, also to crank1.

   Derivatives

   • 1. cringer noun

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • C

     3

   • R

     1

   • I

     1

   • N

     1

   • G

     2

   • E

     1

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