cringe

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• /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒ/
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• [ˈkhɹwɪnd͡ʒ]
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɪndʒ
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• CMU ARPABET: K R IH1 N JH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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The verb is derived from Middle English crengen (“to bend in a haughty manner; to condescend”) [and other forms], from Old English *crenġan, *crenċġan, *crenċan (“to cause to fall or turn”) from Proto-Germanic *krangijaną (“to cause to fall; to cause to turn”), causative of Proto-Germanic *kringaną, *krinkaną (“to fall; to turn; to yield”) (> Old English crin(c)gan (“to yield; to cringe; to fall; to die, perish”)), from Proto-Indo-European *grenǵh- (“to turn”)). The causative suffix is from *-janą (suffix forming causatives with the sense ‘to cause to do (the action of the verb)’ from strong verbs). The English word is cognate with Danish krænge (“to turn inside out, evert”), Dutch krengen (“to careen, veer”) and Dutch kring (“circle”), Scots crenge, creenge, creinge, crienge (“to cringe; to shrug”), Swedish kränga (“to careen; to heel, lurch; to toss”), and West Frisian kringe (“to pinch; to poke; to push; to insist, urge”); and is a doublet of crinkle. The noun and adjective are derived from the verb via zero derivation.

91 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Finnish: säpsähdys — gesture or posture of cringing
• Finnish: vavahdus — gesture or posture of cringing
• French: se faire tout petit — gesture or posture of cringing
• German: Ducken — gesture or posture of cringing
• German: Erschaudern — gesture or posture of cringing
• German: Schaudern — gesture or posture of cringing
• German: Zusammenfahren — gesture or posture of cringing
• German: Zusammenzucken — gesture or posture of cringing
• Hungarian: hőkölés — gesture or posture of cringing
• Hungarian: meghátrál — gesture or posture of cringing
• Hungarian: összerezzen — gesture or posture of cringing
• Italian: raggomitolamento — gesture or posture of cringing
• Russian: содрогание (sodroganije) — gesture or posture of cringing
• Spanish: grima — gesture or posture of cringing
• Bulgarian: криндж (krindž) — secondhand embarrassment
• French: cringe — secondhand embarrassment
• German: Fremdscham — secondhand embarrassment
• Hebrew: מבוכה יד שנייה — secondhand embarrassment
• Polish: obciach — secondhand embarrassment
• Portuguese: vergonha alheia — secondhand embarrassment
• Russian: кринж (krinž) — secondhand embarrassment
• Russian: кукож (kukož) — secondhand embarrassment
• Spanish: grima — secondhand embarrassment
• Spanish: vergüenza ajena — secondhand embarrassment
• Spanish: alipori — secondhand embarrassment
• Tamil: கிரிஞ்சு (kiriñcu) — secondhand embarrassment
• Ukrainian: крінж (krinž) — secondhand embarrassment
• Bulgarian: свивам се (svivam se) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Chinese Mandarin: 畏縮 /畏缩 (wèisuō) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Czech: schoulit se — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Dutch: ineenkrimpen — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Finnish: kavahtaa — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Finnish: säpsähtää — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• French: grincer des dents — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Galician: engoumar — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• German: zusammenzucken — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: megrezzen — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: megriad — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: visszahőköl — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: megborzong — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: beleborzong — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Icelandic: hrylla við — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Icelandic: fá kjánahroll — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Irish: cúb — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Italian: raggomitolarsi — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Italian: rannicchiarsi — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Italian: raggricciare — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Malay: ringis — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Māori: hūiki — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Māori: maopo — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Māori: whakamaoko — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Māori: whakaririka — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Portuguese: encolher-se — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: отпря́нуть (otprjánutʹ) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: содрогну́ться (sodrognútʹsja) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: съёживаться (sʺjóživatʹsja) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: съёжиться (sʺjóžitʹsja) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: ёжиться (jóžitʹsja) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Sicilian: affruntàrisi — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Sicilian: ncunucchiàrisi — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Spanish: contraerse — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Spanish: encogerse — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Swedish: rycka till — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Ottoman Turkish: پوصمق (pusmak) — to cower, recoil, shrink, or tense, as in disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Azerbaijani: əti tökülmək — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Bulgarian: кринджвам (krindžvam) — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Esperanto: ŝrumpaĵo — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• French: gêner — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: feszeng — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: kínosan érzi magát — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: zavarba jön — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Hungarian: zavarban van — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Icelandic: fá kjánahroll — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Italian: ribrezzare — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: съёживаться (sʺjóživatʹsja) — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Russian: съёжиться (sʺjóžitʹsja) — to experience an inward feeling of disgust, embarrassment, or fear
• Bulgarian: срамувам се (sramuvam se) — to feel very embarrassed
• Bulgarian: срамя се (sramja se) — to feel very embarrassed
• French: gêner — to feel very embarrassed
• Hungarian: szégyenkezik — to feel very embarrassed
• Hungarian: elfogja a szégyen — to feel very embarrassed
• Hungarian: összekuporodik — to bow or crouch in servility
• Hungarian: kuporog — to bow or crouch in servility
• Hungarian: lapul — to bow or crouch in servility
• Hungarian: kushad — to bow or crouch in servility
• Bulgarian: раболепнича (rabolepniča) — to act in an obsequious or servile manner
• Hungarian: megalázkodik — to act in an obsequious or servile manner
• Hungarian: hajlong — to act in an obsequious or servile manner
• Hungarian: hajbókol — to act in an obsequious or servile manner
• Hungarian: meghunyászkodik — to act in an obsequious or servile manner
• Hungarian: csúszik-mászik — to act in an obsequious or servile manner