cringing
Recoiling in embarrassment
Cringing describes the act of recoiling or shrinking back, whether physically from fear or pain, or emotionally from embarrassment or disgust.
Someone cringing at a horror movie flinches at the scary parts; someone cringing at an awkward speech feels secondhand embarrassment.
In contemporary usage, cringing often appears in response to social media posts or public behavior deemed painfully awkward: I couldn't stop cringing at his attempt to seem relatable.
Intensely embarrassed
- humiliatedMade to feel worthless
- ashamedFeeling guilt and disgrace
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
- secondhandHaving had prior ownership
uncomfortable · squirm · blush · sheepish · chagrined · self-conscious · abashed · red-faced
Involuntary retreat from threat
- winceReflexive recoil from distress
- recoilBackward force from discharge
- shrinkDecrease in size
- cowerShrink back in dread
shudder · trembling · quail · blanch · startle · fright · dread · terror
Humble oneself servilely
- fawnYoung deer, or flatter
- kowtowExcessive deference shown physically
- bowRespectful forward inclination
- scrapeRub harshly against
servile · obsequious · sycophantic · toadying · subservient · meek · deferential · submissive
mortified
Intensely embarrassed
- humiliatedMade to feel worthless
- ashamedFeeling guilt and disgrace
- awkwardLacking grace or ease
secondhand · uncomfortable · squirm · blush · sheepish · chagrined · self-conscious · abashed · red-faced · flustered
flinch
Involuntary retreat from threat
cower · shudder · trembling · quail · blanch · startle · fright · dread · terror · alarm
grovel
Humble oneself servilely
- fawnYoung deer, or flatter
- kowtowExcessive deference shown physically
- bowRespectful forward inclination
scrape · servile · obsequious · sycophantic · toadying · subservient · meek · deferential · submissive · cowering
- awkward momentsoops, embarrassment, yikes, awkward, awkward silence
- body responsesfight, flight, shivering, freeze, goosebumps
- cowardicecoward, cowardly, craven, gutless, spineless
- defensive gesturesflinching, cowering, ducking, recoiling, wincing
- disgustdisgust, disgusting, disgusted, revulsion, repulsion
- embarrassmentembarrassed, blush, humiliated, mortify, mortified
cringingunflinching
Refusing to show fear
standing tall · upright · swaggering · strutting · head held high
cringingbold
Courageous and daring
confident · assertive · proud · brazen · self-assured
cringingdefiant
Openly resisting control
fearless · undaunted · unafraid · unintimidated · confrontational