cringe
/krɪndʒ/
Very CommonSomething so awkward or embarrassing it makes you physically uncomfortable.
Can be used seriously (genuine embarrassment) or as a dismissive insult (calling anything you dislike cringe). Overuse has made it somewhat self-referential.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | His proposal video was so cringe I had to close the app. | The proposal video was embarrassingly awkward to watch. | reddit, 2023 |
| 02 | Brands trying to use slang on social media is peak cringe. | Corporate accounts attempting to sound relatable are extremely embarrassing. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | I looked at my old tweets and it was nothing but cringe. | The old posts were embarrassing to revisit. | x, 2023 |
| 04 | Calling everything cringe is itself cringe. | Overusing the word cringe as a dismissal is itself embarrassing. | reddit, 2024 |
Use it when
- Someone does something genuinely awkward or embarrassing in public.
- A video or post is so try-hard it makes you uncomfortable.
- Something fails at being cool and lands awkwardly.
Do not use it when
- You just disagree with someone's opinion.
- Someone is expressing genuine vulnerability or emotion.
- You mean something is bad quality but not embarrassing.
Variations and related forms
Cringe vs based
cringe
Cringe describes something embarrassing, try-hard, or conformist.
VS
based
Based describes something authentic, unapologetic, or boldly honest.
Origin and context
While 'cringe' as a verb is centuries old, its use as an adjective and noun to describe embarrassing content became widespread through YouTube cringe compilations in the early 2010s and Reddit communities like r/cringe.
- First seen
- early-2010s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/cringeUpdated: 2026-08-25License: CC BY 4.0