Adjective: cringing krin-jing
- Totally submissive
"If the dominant bird follows, the cringing bird slinks about";
- groveling [US], grovelling [Brit, Cdn], wormlike, wormy
- Draw back, as with fear or pain
"she cringed when they showed the slaughtering of the calf";
- flinch, squinch [N. Amer], funk, shrink, wince, recoil, quail, blench
- Show submission or fear
"The dog cringed under the table during the thunderstorm";
- crawl, cower, grovel
- Experience a feeling of embarrassment or disgust
"I cringe whenever I watch that awkward scene"
See also: submissive
Encyclopedia: Cringe