What does Cringe mean?
Cringe describes something so awkward or try-hard that it is uncomfortable to watch.
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Slang. Also written cringey, cringeworthy.
Where it comes from
The verb is ordinary English; the noun-and-adjective internet sense grew out of Reddit communities built around collecting embarrassing content in the early 2010s, and hardened into a general verdict from there.
How it is actually used
Used as a bare noun ("this is cringe") in a way that is grammatically odd and deliberately so. The key nuance is that cringe attaches to visible effort — sincerity that misses is cringe, while not trying at all is not. This is why brand accounts attract the label so easily. A counter-movement, "cringe is dead" or "let people enjoy things", pushes back on using it at all.
Examples
- "corporate TikToks are peak cringe"
- "this is cringe and I love it"
- "secondhand cringe watching that"
Can a brand use it? Depends on context
Calling your own content cringe self-deprecatingly can work. Calling anything else cringe from a brand account is risky, since brand accounts are the most common target of the word and the reply writes itself.
Related terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What does cringe mean?
Something awkward or try-hard enough to be uncomfortable to watch.
What is secondhand cringe?
Embarrassment felt on someone else’s behalf while watching them.
Why is cringe used as a noun?
The internet sense turned the verb into a verdict — "this is cringe" rather than "this makes me cringe". The compression is intentional.
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