Cringe
Meaning: Embarrassing; making you uncomfortable.
'Cringe' (noun or adjective) describes something so embarrassing it makes you physically cringe. 'That's so cringe' means it's awkward, embarrassing, or try-hard. 'Cringy' is the adjective form.
Examples
- That's so cringe. 太尴尬了Eso es muy vergonzosoそれめっちゃ痛い그 영상 완전 크린지야.
- Cringe content. 让人尴尬的内容Contenido vergonzoso痛いコンテンツ너무 민망해서 끝까지 못 봤어.
- He's being cringe. 他表现得很尴尬Está siendo vergonzoso彼が痛いことしてる진짜 민망함 그 자체야.
Pronunciation
/krɪndʒ/
Usage Guide
Context: embarrassment, criticism, social
Tone: dismissive, uncomfortable
✓ Do Say
- Cringe尴尬的vergonzoso痛い、キツい그거 오글거려
- Cringy让人难堪的que da vergüenza ajena痛々しい너무 오글거려
- That's cringe那很尴尬eso da vergüenza ajenaそれ痛い오글거리는 콘텐츠
✗ Don't Say
- Can be mean—implies social failure可能很刻薄——暗示对方社交失败Puede ser cruel — implica fracaso social意地悪になりうる——社会的な失敗を暗示する'cringe'를 남발해서 뭐든 깎아내리면 그 자체가 cringe가 될 수 있다
Common Mistakes
- Used as noun, adjective, and verb
Origin & History
From the physical act of cringing (recoiling in embarrassment). Internet culture turned it into an adjective for embarrassing content. 'Cringe compilations' became a YouTube genre.
Etymology: From physical cringing reaction
First recorded: Internet culture, 2010s mainstream
Cultural Context
Era: 2010s mainstream
Generation: Gen Z and Millennials
Social background: Universal
Pop culture: YouTube cringe compilations
Regional notes: Internet origin, global.
Variations
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