Vocabulary Showcase: Synonyms for ‘Cringe’

Welcome to Vocabulary Showcase. Don’t tell someone you are attracted to that they remind you of a family member, that’s some free advice for you.

So, this week we are looking at other ways to say ‘cringe’ when someone does something so embarrassing that you feel their embarrassment too (embarrassment is the emotion of feeling foolish or stupid and other people seeing you. We often go bright red when embarrassed).

Synonyms for ‘Cringe’

Here are some other words with the same meaning (synonyms) as ‘cringe’:

• squirm (informal) - “I was one and a half hours into my job interview when I farted. All I could do was quietly squirm!”

• flush (formal / old-fashioned ) - “I flushed (went red) all over when I realised my trousers had ripped.”

• feel embarrassed (general) - “I felt so embarrassed when you called the teacher Mum, I could have died.”

• be mortified (general) - “I waved at my boyfriend and then fell face down on the floor. I was mortified.”

• feel sheepish (informal / old-fashioned) - “OK, I did feel a bit sheepish asking her out to the dance with me, but she said yes!”

• wince with embarrassment (general) - “I wince with embarrassment every time my wife calls me ‘fluffy bunny’ in public.”

Wrapping Up

Sometimes, especially when a word is quite newly used like ‘cringe’ to mean embarrassment, we can find ourselves repeating the word too much. With these extra synonyms, you can tell people how you cringed, flushed, squirmed and were mortified by your little brother pooping at the cinema! What would you do without Vocabulary Showcases?

What do the Vocabulary Tags Mean?

(formal) - These words are used in more serious situations, like in essays, important reports, and usually in writing.

(informal) - These words are used more when speaking, between friends and family, and in relaxed situations.

(general) - These words are used often and in many situations.

(old-fashioned) - These words were more common in the past and are not used often in our time.