Cringe
/krɪndʒ/
Generally Harmless
awkward
embarrassing
online content
secondhand embarrassment
Definition
Causing feelings of embarrassment, awkwardness, or secondhand embarrassment due to someone else's actions or words.
Examples
- His attempt at that TikTok dance was so cringe.
- I had to stop watching; the cringe was too much.
Origin & Context
The word 'cringe' (to shrink back in fear or embarrassment) is old, but its use as an adjective or noun to describe something that *causes* this feeling is a more modern slang development, heavily popularized by online content sharing and 'cringe compilations'.
Written and reviewed by our team.