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Glite Dictionary
clinched

clinched

5.7
Holding a body part like a fist tightly because of anger or strong feeling
  • adjective
  • /klɪncht/
translation icon : tenso
  • His fists were clinched as he faced the referee, ready to contest the decision.

Examples

  • She stood there with her jaw clinched tightly, determined not to show her fear.

  • Feeling stressed, she sat with her hands clinched in her lap, trying to calm herself.

  • with my fist clenched toward the battle, toward the struggle,

Synonyms

clenched
vsclinched
1 4.2

Tightly closed hands or teeth that show strong feeling

is used for tight closure caused by tension or firm determination

How Tight

clinched
5.7
to tense
9 4.0
relaxed
241 1.0

Surface Forms

clinched positive

Morphology

clinched = clinch (transparent) = clinch + ed

The adjective is a regular past-participle/adjectival form of the verb 'clinch', so the meaning 'held or closed tightly' is a direct derivation.

Etymology

Clinched comes from the same root as clench, which means 'to hold or close tightly'. Think of someone closing their fists or jaw in anger or determination, and that tight hold is why clinched describes a body part that is closed or squeezed by tension.