Gen Z · 1997–2012 · Reaction cringe
Cringe
Embarrassing, awkward or uncomfortable to witness.
IN PLAIN ENGLISH“Painfully awkward”
ALSO SEARCHED AScringey
THE VIBEExpressive, contextual, playful
USE IT INConversation, captions, group chats
USE IT LIKE THIS
“The forced joke was cringe.”
WORD ORIGIN
Popularized through social media, music, memes and everyday youth speech.