Cringe means to feel intense embarrassment about your own or someone else's awkward moment. In slang, it also works as an adjective: that's so cringe. People use it in texting and with friends; in a formal letter, embarrassing or awkward is more appropriate.
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cringe at + noun/-ing; so cringe (adjective)
- I cringe every time I watch my old graduation speech video.
- That joke was so cringe nobody in the room laughed.
- She cringed when her dad started dancing at the wedding.
What changed
First versionIt was a big cringe when he forgot her name.
RevisionIt was so cringe when he forgot her name.
In slang, cringe meaning awkward is an adjective, and it takes so in front of it, not a or big the way a noun would: so cringe, not a big cringe. Treating cringe as a countable noun here is a common mix-up.
The verb and the adjective look at the situation from different sides. I cringed means I felt embarrassed, while It's so cringe means the situation itself is embarrassing. So I'm so cringe would actually mean I'm ridiculous, not I feel embarrassed. Neutral English has the same pair: I was embarrassed and It was embarrassing.
Your turn
Watching the old video back was ___, especially the off-key singing.
Show the answer
so cringe — Cringe here describes the situation itself, so it needs the adjective form with so: so cringe. A cringe turns the word into a noun, and that's not how it's used in slang.
Describe an awkward situation at school, work or with friends — your own or someone else's. Use so cringe and say exactly what happened.
It was so cringe when my phone started ringing in the middle of the exam and everyone turned around.
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