handwringing
Excessive worry display
Handwringing is anxious, excessive worry—especially when it produces no action.
The term evokes someone literally wringing their hands in distress.
It often carries a dismissive tone, suggesting the concern is performative or overblown: There's been a lot of handwringing about declining test scores, but no one's proposed solutions.
Also spelled hand-wringing.
Troubled mental state
- frettingAnxious rumination or surface wear
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
- angstDeep unfocused worry
nervousness · apprehension · unease · agitation · overwrought · consternation · alarm · panic
Prolonged indecisive hesitation
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
- indecisionFailure to decide
- paralysisLoss of muscle function
- vacillationInability to choose
waffling · ineffectiveness · futility · impotence · helplessness · powerlessness · stalling · procrastination
Sensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- theatricsExaggerated dramatic behavior
- histrionicsExaggerated emotional behavior
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
- overreactionDisproportionate emotional response
posturing · virtue signaling · pearl-clutching · sanctimony · crocodile tears · moral panic · grandstanding · self-righteousness
worry
Troubled mental state
- frettingAnxious rumination or surface wear
- anguishIntense mental suffering
- distressSevere anxiety or suffering
angst · nervousness · apprehension · unease · agitation · overwrought · consternation · alarm · panic · dread
dithering
Prolonged indecisive hesitation
- hesitationDelay from uncertainty
- indecisionFailure to decide
- paralysisLoss of muscle function
vacillation · waffling · ineffectiveness · futility · impotence · helplessness · powerlessness · stalling · procrastination · fence-sitting
melodrama
Sensational, emotionally overwrought drama
- theatricsExaggerated dramatic behavior
- histrionicsExaggerated emotional behavior
- exaggerationOverstating beyond reality
overreaction · posturing · virtue signaling · pearl-clutching · sanctimony · crocodile tears · moral panic · grandstanding · self-righteousness · public display
clasping
Holding something firmly
handwringingequanimity
Unshakable mental steadiness
composure · serenity · sangfroid · tranquility · imperturbability
handwringingdecisive action
Firm choice, promptly executed
problem-solving · taking action · getting things done · rolling up one's sleeves · taking the bull by the horns
handwringingstoicism
Uncomplaining acceptance of difficulty
composure · stiff upper lip · restraint · understatement · poker face
hand, wring, hands, handed, handing, handy, handily, handedness, wringing