writhing 1 of 2

noun

as in twitching

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writhing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of writhe
1
as in weaving
to cause to twine about one another tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in squirming
to make jerky or restless movements writhing in pain from his injuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of writhing
Noun
Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment. — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
The Washington Commanders quarterback was on the turf, writhing in pain, and his teammates seemed to simply ignore him. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 The Packers wide receiver went down quickly and was face down on the turf and writhing in pain. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 Anyone who stands in front of De Kooning’s urgent, sensuously greedy drawings, with their writhing contours, cacophonous colors, and perverse processes, can feel the force of that craving. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week likened Iran to a snake that has been decapitated but whose body is still writhing. — Matthew Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026 That night, the horse was thrashing and writhing in agony, suffering from the pain of its wound. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Once Turek has finished writhing about on the floor in a shambolic attempt to gather, Czibor is on hand to whip the ball away and tuck it home from six yards, the simplest of tasks. — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026 There was no diving here; no, this was earnest, earned writhing on the grass — medically justified. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhing
  1. twitching
  2. weaving
  3. squirming
  4. wriggling
  5. twisting
  6. fidgeting
  7. fiddling
  8. tossing
Noun
  • Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
  • During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of twitching
Verb
  • Combat sequences, set in the Pacific theater and filmed in Australia, look expansive and authentic, weaving around hundreds of soldiers running and shouting and shooting at once.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The process was particularly intricate, as each interlacing detail on the bodice had to be carefully constructed by weaving hundreds of meters of rouleau and while maintaining the tension and precision of the corsetry underneath.
    — Shelby Wax, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaving
Verb
  • The preview ends with a heart-swelling image of Osbourne smiling and squirming with joy in his throne.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The kitten appears to be squirming in his alleged captor’s arms in surveillance footage of the incident, which Innab reviewed after Jabal’s disappearance.
    — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of squirming
Noun
  • Barnard attended the ceremony with Soprano, Lola’s female stand-in and a convincing lookalike, who accepted the collar with considerable enthusiasm and even more considerable wriggling.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
Definition of wriggling
Verb
  • When glossy, spoon mixture into a sandwich bag, pushing the mixture to the corner of the bag and twisting the top of the bag to remove any excess air.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The film’s pick-me jabs at humor are frankly, flatly unfunny and grating, twisting the film at times into a perverse, almost self-aware treatise on tweeness.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of twisting
Verb
  • Weaving every movement together are barely perceptible particles that make your ears blink and double-take—bubbles, dolphin gurgles, memory chips fidgeting, sprites hiccuping.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.
    — Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fidgeting
Noun
  • Her fiddling is a looser, freer, more accessible type of memorialization—less a notation than an invocation, a summoning of her homeland’s spirit.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • Colorado’s lone goal was a result of some Matt Wells tactical fiddling — and Keegan Rosenberry playing like his job’s on the line — gone right.
    — Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of fiddling
Verb
  • The video showed the employee tossing the cash onto the front counter before the suspect grabbed the money and stuffed it into his pocket.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Arrange in a single layer and roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and browned, 15–25 minutes.
    — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of tossing

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writhes
writhing
writing
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Cite this Entry

“Writhing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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