Need another word that means the same as “flinch”? Find 38 synonyms and 30 related words for “flinch” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Flinch” are: cringe, funk, quail, recoil, shrink, squinch, wince, start, shy, shy away, pull back, back away, draw back, withdraw, blench, squirm, quiver, shudder, shiver, tremble, quake, shake, cower, waver, falter, hesitate, get cold feet, blanch, turn away, swerve, hang back, demur, jerk, twitch, spasm, convulsion, jump
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “flinch” as a noun can have the following definitions:
| convulsion | An earthquake or other violent or major movement of the earth’s crust. Convulsions of laughter. |
| jump | The act of jumping propelling yourself off the ground. You get the jumps you feel like J Edgar Hoover s on your tail. |
| spasm | Sudden constriction of a hollow organ (as a blood vessel. The airways in the lungs go into spasm. |
| twitch | A sudden pull or jerk. He felt a twitch of annoyance. |
| wince | The facial expression of sudden pain. |
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “flinch” as a verb can have the following definitions:
| back away | Travel backward. |
| blanch | Briefly immerse (an item of food) in boiling water, especially as a technique for removing the skin from nuts or fruit or for preparing vegetables for further cooking. I blanched the carrots for a couple of minutes before roasting them. |
| blench | Become pale. Lord Ralph blenched at the very idea of working from dawn until dusk. |
| cower | Crouch or curl up. Children cowered in terror as the shoot out erupted. |
| cringe | Experience an inward shiver of embarrassment or disgust. He cringed away from the blow. |
| demur | Put forward a demurrer. He demurred at my suggestion to work on Saturday. |
| draw back | Cause to flow. |
| falter | Speak haltingly. He faltered and finally stopped in mid stride. |
| funk | Draw back, as with fear or pain. I could have seen him this morning but I funked it. |
| get cold feet | Suffer from the receipt of. |
| hang back | Kill by hanging. |
| hesitate | Interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing. She hesitated unsure of what to say. |
| pull back | Strip of feathers. |
| quail | Draw back, as with fear or pain. |
| quake | (of a person) shake or shudder with fear. He was a large man with a flaming temper and I was quaking as I ran to his office. |
| quiver | Cause (something) to make a slight rapid motion. The bird runs along in a zigzag path quivering its wings. |
| recoil | Suddenly spring or flinch back in fear, horror, or disgust. He recoiled in horror. |
| shake | Shake a body part to communicate a greeting feeling or cognitive state. My faith has been shaken. |
| shiver | Shake slightly and uncontrollably as a result of being cold, frightened, or excited. The children are shivering turn on the heat. |
| shrink | Reduce in size; reduce physically. I don t shrink from my responsibilities. |
| shudder | (especially of a vehicle, machine, or building) shake or vibrate violently. The building cracked and shuddered. |
| shy | Avoid doing or becoming involved in (something) due to nervousness or a lack of confidence. Don t shy away from saying what you think. |
| shy away | Start suddenly, as from fright. |
| squinch | Cross one’s eyes as if in strabismus. |
| squirm | Wriggle or twist the body from side to side, especially as a result of nervousness or discomfort. He squirmed as he recalled the phrases he had used. |
| start | Give a signal to competitors to start in a race. The mortar in the joints had started. |
| swerve | Turn sharply; change direction abruptly. A lorry swerved across her path. |
| tremble | (of a structure or area of land) shake or quiver slightly. I tremble to think that we could ever return to conditions like these. |
| turn away | Alter the functioning or setting of. |
| waver | Move hesitatingly, as if about to give way. His love for her had never wavered. |
| wince | Make a face indicating disgust or dislike. He winced at the disgust in her voice. |
| withdraw | Withdraw from active participation. This machine withdraws heat from the environment. |
| abate | Reduce or remove (a nuisance. The storm suddenly abated. |
| astringent | An astringent lotion applied to the skin to reduce bleeding from minor abrasions or as a cosmetic to make the skin less oily. His subversive and astringent humour. |
| backlash | A movement back from an impact. The political movie backlashed on the Democrats. |
| boggle | Startle with amazement or fear. The mind boggles at the spectacle. |
| cringe | An act of cringing. I cringed at the fellow s stupidity. |
| curtail | Terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent. Personal freedom is curtailed in many countries. |
| deaden | Make (a noise or sensation) less strong or intense. Deadened wine. |
| decrease | Decrease in size extent or range. He decreased his staff. |
| decrement | A process of becoming smaller or shorter. The instruction decrements the accumulator by one. |
| deflate | Become deflated or flaccid as by losing air. The new measures deflated the economy. |
| depletion | The act of decreasing something markedly. The depletion of the ozone layer. |
| diminish | Cause to seem less impressive or valuable. The trial has aged and diminished him. |
| downgrade | An instance of reducing someone or something’s rank, status, or level of importance. Downgrades by debt rating agencies outnumber upgrades by five to one. |
| dwindle | Become smaller or lose substance. Traffic has dwindled to a trickle. |
| fade | Lose freshness, vigor, or vitality. His fair hair had faded to a dusty grey. |
| languish | Be forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation. Kelso languish near the bottom of the Scottish First Division. |
| lessen | Make or become less; diminish. The years have lessened the gap in age between us. |
| recoil | The action of recoiling. The rifle recoiled. |
| retrench | Make (an employee) redundant. Right wing parties which seek to retrench the welfare state. |
| rundown | A reduction in the productivity or activities of a company or institution. He gave his teammates a rundown on the opposition. |
| shorten | Make (a vowel or syllable) short. Before sail could be shortened she went on to her beam ends. |
| shrink | Become smaller or draw together. You should see a shrink. |
| shrinkage | The amount by which something shrinks. Shrinkage is the retail trade s euphemism for shoplifting. |
| shrivel | Wither, as with a loss of moisture. The fruit dried and shriveled. |
| squat | A squatting position. He can squat 850 pounds. |
| wane | Grow smaller. Interest in the project waned. |
| wilt | Any of a number of fungal or bacterial diseases of plants characterized by wilting of the foliage. My opponent was wilting. |
| wince | The facial expression of sudden pain. She winced when she heard his pompous speech. |
| wither | Wither as with a loss of moisture. She withered him with a glance. |
| wizened | Shrivelled or wrinkled with age. A wizened little man with frizzy grey hair. |
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