blenching
Recoiling in fear
Blenching is the present participle of blench, a verb meaning to flinch or draw back, typically from fear or pain.
Someone who blenches recoils or shrinks away from something unpleasant or threatening.
He stood his ground without blenching.
The word is somewhat literary and old-fashioned, appearing more often in formal writing than in everyday speech.
recoil
Backward force from discharge
quail · cower · flinch · shudder · startle · twitch · jerk · squirm · tremble · shiver
retreat
Sanctuary or withdrawal
hesitate · demur · balk · pause · halt · falter · abstain · yield · defer · recede
courage/fear response
blenchingunblenching
Not recoiling or flinching
confronting · facing · braving · unflinching · charging