What does cringey mean?
Cringey is an informal adjective for something that causes embarrassment because it is awkward, dated, overly sentimental, or conspicuously uncool. People use it for clothing, behavior, speech, media, and jokes that they regard as embarrassing, often with a mocking or comic edge; in some contexts it can be playful rather than harshly judgmental. The word is especially associated with English-language conversation in North America and Britain, though it is now understood more widely. It developed from the blend cringeworthy and gee, giving it a more emphatic, conversational sound than cringeworthy alone. Because cringey is subjective and informal, it is better suited to casual commentary, reviews, social media, and creative writing than formal criticism, where embarrassing, awkward, or uncool may be clearer. Recognizing the term helps explain why a harmless-seeming choice can provoke a strongly negative reaction, and why speakers sometimes use the word jokingly to acknowledge their own embarrassment.
adjectiveInformal adjective meaning embarrassing or awkward, especially in a way that seems dated, overly sentimental, or conspicuously uncool.
- Embarrassingly awkward or embarrassing.
- Uncool, dated, or tasteless in a way that invites ridicule.
"His attempted charm at the awards ceremony was painfully cringey."
"The speech was so cringey that the audience began groaning."
"She calls her old neon jacket cringey, though she still wears it everywhere."
Blend cringeworthy with gee and you get cringey: two syllables for something painfully awkward, dated, or uncool.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cringey come from?
Cringey is an English blend of cringeworthy and the interjection gee. It emerged in American English during the 1970s, with its clipped form making embarrassment sound especially immediate and colloquial. It is related to cringe, cringeworthy, and cringeworthiness, but it has no well-established cognate outside English.
Related word forms
How cringey is actually used
Informal, subjective, and often dismissive, although it may also be used teasingly or playfully. It is common in casual speech, social media, reviews, and humorous writing but generally unsuitable for formal criticism.
Easily confused with cringey
To cringe is to recoil in embarrassment, whereas cringey describes a person, thing, or performance that is considered embarrassing or uncool.