cringeworthy
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
cringeworthy
- /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌwɜːði/ UK
- /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌwəːðɪj/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkɾɪnd͡ʒˌweːði/
- /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌweːði/
- /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌwɜːvi/
- /ˈkɾɪnd͡ʒˌwʌɾðe/ Scotland
- /-ðɪ/ Scotland
- /-ði/ Scotland
- /ˈkɾɪnd͡ʒˌwøːði/ Wales
- /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌwɝði/ US
- /ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌwɜːði/ Australia
- /ˈkɹənd͡ʒˌwøːði/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From cringe (verb) + -worthy (suffix meaning of ‘sufficient worth for, deserving of’), popularized by the surname of the character Cuthbert Cringeworthy, an extremely studious pupil introduced in 1972 into The Bash Street Kids, a comic strip by the Scottish cartoonist David Sutherland (1933–2023) published in the British magazine The Beano.
adjective more cringeworthy · cringeworthier · most cringeworthy · cringeworthiest · cringe-worthy
- That causes or may cause one to cringe with disgust, embarrassment (often vicarious embarrassment), etc.; awkward, disgusting, embarrassing. But the top goon's one-panel reform described by Robin on the last page was absolutely cringeworthy … especially since the author had so successfully built up his image as a first-rate shnook.
