How to Use cringeworthy in a Sentence

cringeworthy

adjective
  • Farewell tours can be cringeworthy.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
  • For more of their cringeworthy encounter, watch the clip above.
    — Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 27 Sep. 2017
  • Jaylen Brown’s high-school class project dunks were cringeworthy.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024
  • The effect is odd at best, and painfully cringeworthy at worst.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2024
  • In a relatable twist, some users even shared their own cringeworthy mix-ups.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024
  • Some who saw the video on social media described it as bizarre and even cringeworthy.
    — Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2024
  • For her, the '90s resurgence is equal parts thrilling and cringeworthy.
    — Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Each moment is more cringeworthy than the next and distracts from his core message.
    — Kenneth L. Khachigian, WSJ, 19 Jan. 2022
  • Some of the games on the show have been a tad cringeworthy, such as a competition to cut up hot dogs.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
  • And then a bunch of articles came out and said, 'That's so cringeworthy.
    — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE.com, 28 June 2022
  • Then a bunch of articles came out and said, 'That's so cringeworthy.
    — Megan Thomas, CNN, 28 June 2022
  • Most of the acts will probably be less-than-stellar, but even a cringeworthy show makes a unique way to pass an evening.
    — Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 29 Nov. 2022
  • Here are some of the most awkward, cringeworthy moments from their time together.
    — Beatrice Dupuy, Teen Vogue, 26 Apr. 2018
  • This season has certainly seen its share of awkward moments, but this might be the most cringeworthy one of all.
    — Jamie Ballard, Good Housekeeping, 15 May 2018
  • But the cringeworthy scene in the Oval Office was merely a prelude for what was to come.
    — Bess Levin, The Hive, 17 Mar. 2017
  • There are a few things in the show that haven’t aged well, including a bit of cringeworthy ethnic humor toward the end.
    — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2017
  • Some of those attacks have been more successful than others, but most are more cringeworthy than anything.
    — Jacob Siegal, BGR, 14 Mar. 2022
  • Here are seven of the most cringeworthy football challenges online.
    — SI.com, 29 Sep. 2019
  • But few can recount as many cringeworthy attempts as Riley Collins.
    — Angela Yang, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2023
  • There being fewer cringeworthy moments in press conferences is nice for me and my media brethren.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The year had a nice mix of your basic gaffes, your general bizarreness, and your completely cringeworthy moments.
    — Jimmy Traina, SI.com, 11 Dec. 2017
  • That was one of several cringeworthy exchanges.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 10 June 2026
  • As for Golding, his most cringeworthy audition was for a commercial as well — one where he was asked to dance.
    — Nigel Smith, PEOPLE.com, 29 Oct. 2019
  • One of Helen’s co-workers tries to tell her about adoption in one early cringeworthy moment.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Some viewers even took to hate-watching the show, tuning in every week just to gawk at the latest episodes’ cringeworthy moments.
    — Andrew McGowan, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025
  • Their cringeworthy audition tapes are still available all over YouTube.
    — Oskar Oprey, Artforum, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Compare it to some of Anakin and Padme's cringeworthy romantic lines in the later films.
    — EW.com, 17 Feb. 2023
  • This is a series about a cringeworthy Gatsby figure who refuses to cringe.
    — Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
  • Styles has put together an album that's so solid, even moments that would be cringeworthy when handled by lesser pop stars feel earned.
    — Maura Johnston, EW.com, 16 May 2022
  • Ernie Johnson, arguably the best studio host of his time, was caught in a cringeworthy moment of product placement.
    — Chad Finn, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cringeworthy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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