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Cringe vs Shudder - What's the difference?

cringe | shudder |

In lang=en terms the difference between cringe and shudder

is that cringe is to shrink, tense or recoil, as in fear, disgust or embarrassment while shudder is to vibrate jerkily.

As nouns the difference between cringe and shudder

is that cringe is a posture or gesture of shrinking or recoiling while shudder is a shivering tremor.

As verbs the difference between cringe and shudder

is that cringe is (dated|intransitive) to bow or crouch in servility while shudder is to shake nervously, as if from fear.

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

    *

    shudder

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A shivering tremor.
  • A moment of almost pleasurable fear; a frisson.
  • Synonyms

    * (shivering tremor ): jiggle, quake, rumble, quiver * (frisson ): shiver, quiver, tingle, thrill

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To shake nervously, as if from fear.
  • To vibrate jerkily.
  • Synonyms

    * (shake nervously ): palpitate, shiver, shake, quake * (vibrate jerkily ): flutter, jiggle, shake, wiggle

    See also

    * judder

    References