cringing
adjective
[ ˈkrɪn(d)ʒɪŋ ]
• bent in fear or apprehension.
• "he lugged his carry-on bag and computer case past cringing passengers wary of being hit"
cringe
verb
• bend one's head and body in fear or apprehension or in a servile manner.
• "he cringed away from the blow"
Similar:
cower,
shrink,
draw back,
pull back,
recoil,
start,
shy (away),
wince,
flinch,
blench,
blanch,
dodge,
duck,
crouch,
shudder,
shake,
tremble,
quiver,
quail,
quake,
get cold feet,
kowtow,
bow and scrape,
grovel,
creep,
crawl,
toady,
fawn,
truckle,
be servile towards,
be sycophantic towards,
dance attendance on,
ingratiate oneself with,
curry favour with,
flatter,
woo,
pay court to,
get round,
suck up to,
make up to,
lick someone's boots,
be all over,
fall all over,
sweet-talk,
soft-soap,
brown-nose,
blandish,
Origin:
Middle English crenge, crenche, related to Old English cringan, crincan ‘bend, yield, fall in battle’, of Germanic origin and related to Dutch krengen ‘heel over’ and German krank ‘sick’, also to crank1.
