Synonyms

flinch shrink recoil wince quail funk squinch

Examples

"she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"

Used in print

Though his inner thoughts cringed at it , he forced himself to think_back , recreating the scene in which Mae claimed to have caught him molesting the child .

Related terms

move shrink_back wince

Synonyms

grovel crawl cower creep fawn

Used in print

They cringed under sodden covers , listening to the waves slop against the bottom .

Related terms

bend apple_polisher sycophant