Cringe1. (v. t.) To draw one's self together as in fear or servility; to bend or crouch with base humility; to wince; hence; to make court in a degrading manner; to fawn.
2. (v. t.) To contract; to draw together; to cause to shrink or wrinkle; to distort.
3. (n.) Servile civility; fawning; a shrinking or bowing, as in fear or servility.
Thesaurus Entries
apple-polish, avoid, bend, bend the knee, bend the neck, bend to, blench, blink, bootlick, bow, bow and scrape, bow down, bow to, brown-nose, cower, crawl, creep, cringe to, croodle, crouch, crouch before, curtsy, defer, do homage, do obeisance, dodge, draw back, draw in, duck, eat dirt, evade, fade, fall back, fawn, flatter, flinch, funk, genuflect, get down, grovel, hang back, hunch, hunch down, jib, kneel, kneel to, knuckle to, kowtow, lick the dust, lickspittle, pull back, pull in, pull out, quail, quiver, recoil, reel back, retract, retreat, scrouch down, sheer off, shrink, shrink back, shy, sidestep, skulk, slaver, slink, sneak, squat, start aside, start back, stoop, swerve, toadeat, toady, tremble, truckle, truckle to, turn aside, wallow, weasel, weasel out, welter, wince, withdraw