cringing

1 6.7

Being too afraid and eager to please others

adjective
/ˈkrɪn.dʒɪŋ/

Archaic

: humilde

The boss noticed his cringing behavior during the meeting, which made it clear he lacked confidence.

Examples

She was cringing in the corner, unsure of how to respond to the harsh criticism.
Well, when everyone on camera is just sitting at home, like cringing it like that girl.
So I'm cringing though, for this person.
So I'm cringing though, for this person.
Thanks to my entire evening of eye rolling, face palming, and full body cringing, we all get to experience this fantastic video.
Cringing, slimy vermin...

Shadows and Fog (1991)
(CRINGING)

DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
(CRINGING)

DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990)
He felt cringing embarrassment after realizing he had mispronounced her name.

Synonyms

wormy

vscringing

Offensive

1 8.7

Being weak and afraid to stand up for yourself

is about abject submission specifically caused by fear to please others

groveling

vscringing

1 7.4

Acting too eager to please and obey someone, often seeming weak

is driven by fear and shows abject lack of self respect

wormlike

vscringing

Offensive

8.4

Too willing to obey others and not speak up

is abjectly submissive because of fear and low self respect

Antonyms

assertive

42 4.2

Showing confidence when saying what you want or think

self-respecting

16 4.2

A person who feels proud of themselves and behaves with dignity

How Submissive

obsequious

Formal

7 9.3

groveling

1 7.4

cringing

Archaic

1 6.7

submissive

38 5.1

compliant

31 5.1

assertive

42 4.2

Surface Forms

cringing positive

Morphology

cringing = cringe (transparent) = cringe + ing

The adjective is a standard participial adjective formed from the verb 'cringe' with '-ing', so its meaning ('showing cringe/servility') is directly predictable from the base.

Etymology

Cringing comes from the older verb cringe, which meant to 'bend' or 'bow down' because of fear. So a cringing person acts like they are physically bowing away in fear or trying too hard to please, and the word now means showing too much fear or shame.