What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Cringe vs Fawn - What's the difference?

cringe | fawn | Synonyms |

In intransitive terms the difference between cringe and fawn

is that cringe is to shrink, tense or recoil, as in fear, disgust or embarrassment while fawn is to seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour (with on or upon).

As nouns the difference between cringe and fawn

is that cringe is a posture or gesture of shrinking or recoiling while fawn is a young deer.

As verbs the difference between cringe and fawn

is that cringe is to bow or crouch in servility while fawn is to give birth to a fawn.

As an adjective fawn is

of the fawn colour.

cringe

English

Alternative forms

* (dialectal)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A posture or gesture of shrinking or recoiling.
  • He glanced with a cringe at the mess on his desk.
  • (dialect) A crick.
  • Verb

  • (dated) To bow or crouch in servility.
  • * Milton
  • Sly hypocrite, who more than thou / Once fawned and cringed , and servilely adored / Heaven's awful monarch?
  • * 1903 , ,
  • He heard the hateful clank of their chains; he felt them cringe and grovel, and there rose within him a protest and a prophecy.
  • * 1904 , ,
  • Leclere was bent on the coming of the day when Batard should wilt in spirit and cringe and whimper at his feet.
  • To shrink, tense or recoil, as in fear, disgust or embarrassment.
  • He cringed as the bird collided with the window.
  • * Bunyan
  • When they were come up to the place where the lions were, the boys that went before were glad to cringe behind, for they were afraid of the lions.
  • * 1917 , ,
  • But he made no whimper. Nor did he wince or cringe to the blows. He bored straight in, striving, without avoiding a blow, to beat and meet the blow with his teeth.
  • (obsolete) To contract; to draw together; to cause to shrink or wrinkle; to distort.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Till like a boy you see him cringe his face, / And whine aloud for mercy.

    Derived terms

    * cringeworthy

    See also

    * crouch * wince

    Anagrams

    *

    fawn

    English

    (wikipedia fawn)

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) faon.

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A young deer.
  • A pale brown colour tinted with yellow, like that of a fawn.
  • (obsolete) The young of an animal; a whelp.
  • * Holland
  • [The tigress] after her fawns .

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of the fawn colour.
  • Derived terms
    * fawn lily

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To give birth to a fawn.
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) fawnen, from (etyl) fahnian, fagnian, . See also fain.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To exhibit affection or attempt to please.
  • To seek favour by flattery and obsequious behaviour (with on'' or ''upon ).
  • * Shakespeare
  • You showed your teeth like apes, and fawned like hounds.
  • * Milton
  • Thou with trembling fear, / Or like a fawning parasite, obeyest.
  • * Macaulay
  • courtiers who fawn on a master while they betray him
  • *
  • , title=The Mirror and the Lamp , chapter=2 citation , passage=That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.}}
  • (of a dog) To wag its tail, to show devotion.
  • Synonyms
    * (seek favour by flattery) grovel, wheedle
    Derived terms
    * fawn over

    See also

    *

    References

    ----