Words similar to cringe

Example sentences for: cringe

How can you use “cringe” in a sentence? Here are some example sentences to help you improve your vocabulary:

At a time when dumb one-liners and tasteless jokes can be tossed off on TV and elsewhere as examples of wit without causing anyone to cringe, perhaps the moment has arrived to make some distinctions and straighten out the nomenclature among those terms that fall under the umbrella of eliciting laughter.
Male critics cringe at Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady ; female critics call it her masterwork.
The children would cringe and hide while the parents defended them.
I almost cringe when I write this because some of what is going on here has been underwhelming and derivative of the old world.
Throughout this enthralling tale, one feels a "please don't hit me" cringe coming from the author.