wince

wince
1. verb

he winced at the pain

Syn:
grimace, make a face, flinch, blanch, start
2. noun

a wince of pain

Syn:
grimace, flinch, start
••
wince, cower, cringe, flinch, recoil
The same individual might wince when receiving a flu shot, flinch from a difficult task, and cower in fear at the approach of a tornado. All of these verbs mean to draw back in alarm, disgust, faintheartedness, or servility, but there are subtle differences among them. To wince is to make a slight recoiling movement, often an involuntary contraction of the facial features, in response to pain or discomfort (to wince when a singer misses a high note), while flinch may imply a similar drawing-back motion or, more abstractly, a reluctance or avoidance (to tackle the job without flinching). Cower and cringe both refer to stooped postures, although cower is usually associated with fearful trembling (he cowered in the doorway) while cringe is usually linked to servile, cowardly, or fawning behavior (she cringed before her father's authority). More than any of the other verbs here, recoil suggests a physical movement away from something (recoil at the sight of a poisonous snake), although that movement may also be psychological (recoil at the very thought of a family reunion).

Thesaurus of popular words. 2014.

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Synonyms:

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  • Wince — Wince, n. [See {Winch}.] (Dyeing & Calico Printing) A reel used in dyeing, steeping, or washing cloth; a winch. It is placed over the division wall between two wince pits so as to allow the cloth to descend into either compartment. at will. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wince — [wıns] v [Date: 1200 1300; : Old North French; Origin: wenchier [i] to be impatient, move about suddenly ] 1.) to suddenly change the expression on your face as a reaction to something painful or upsetting ▪ Sandra winced as the dentist started… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Wince — Wince, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Winced}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wincing}.] [OE. wincen, winchen, OF. quencir, guenchir, guenchier, giencier, guinchier, and (assumed) winchier, winchir, to give way, to turn aside, fr. OHG. wankjan, wenken, to give way, to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wince — Wince, n. The act of one who winces. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wince — (v.) early 13c., winch, probably from O.N.Fr. *wenchier (in O.Fr. guenchir to turn aside, avoid ), from Frankish *wenkjan, from P.Gmc. *wankjan (Cf. O.H.G. wankon to stagger, totter, O.N. vakka to stray, hover; see WINK (Cf. wink)). Originally of …   Etymology dictionary

  • wince — *recoil, flinch, shrink, blench, quail Analogous words: cringe, cower (see FAWN): balk, shy, stick, stickle (see DEMUR): squirm, *writhe …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • wince — [v] draw back back off, blanch, blench, cower, cringe, dodge, duck, flinch, grimace, jib, make a face*, quail, recoil, shrink, shy, start, swerve, turn; concepts 154,185 …   New thesaurus

  • wince — ► VERB ▪ give a slight involuntary grimace or flinch due to pain or distress. ► NOUN ▪ an instance of wincing. ORIGIN Old French guenchir turn aside …   English terms dictionary

  • wince — wince1 [wins] vi. winced, wincing [ME wynsen < Anglo Fr var. of OFr guenchir < Frank * wenkjan, akin to OHG wankon, to totter, turn: for IE base see WINCH] to shrink or draw back slightly, usually with a grimace, as in pain, embarrassment,… …   English World dictionary

  • wince — v. 1) (D; intr.) to wince at (to wince at the thought of going back to work) 2) (misc.) to wince in pain * * * [wɪns] (misc.) to wince in pain (D; intr.) to wince at (to wince at the thought of going back to work) …   Combinatory dictionary

  • Wince — This unusual and interesting name has two possible origins, the first of which is a medieval topographical name denoting residence at or by a spot on a river where boats were hauled up onto the land by means of Pulleys, derived from the Middle… …   Surnames reference

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