hand-wringing
noun
hand-wring·ing
ˈhand-ˌriŋ-iŋ 
: an overwrought expression of concern or guilt
handwringer
noun
Examples of hand-wringing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The annual hand-wringing around whether New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be fired is already under way, but that won’t be decided for weeks as the club’s management takes a breath and grieves the club’s latest playoff exit.
—
Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Once more, violent video games will be summoned for a brief moment of soul-searching and hand-wringing by political leaders representing constituents desperate to find a simple solution to our nation’s complex troubles.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Leavy catalogs this wistfulness not in the spirit of hand-wringing, but more as an earnest problem solver.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
On Hacks, the end of Deborah’s and Ava’s late night dreams made for dramatic reckoning, but our heroes eschewed hand-wringing.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Despite industry-wide hand-wringing over the rise of streaming, watching a movie at home and seeing a movie in the theater are not mutually exclusive experiences.
—Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
The current round of liberal hand-wringing about how conservatives have become far better at driving the political conversation stems in large part from Kirk.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
As the calendar turns to fall, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing over the 2025 summer box office, which the New York Times reported was at its lowest point since 1981.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
No more hand-wringing and excuses by politicians who love to talk while people are terrorized.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
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Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 12 Oct. 2025
Once more, violent video games will be summoned for a brief moment of soul-searching and hand-wringing by political leaders representing constituents desperate to find a simple solution to our nation’s complex troubles.
—Time, 8 Oct. 2025
Leavy catalogs this wistfulness not in the spirit of hand-wringing, but more as an earnest problem solver.
—Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
On Hacks, the end of Deborah’s and Ava’s late night dreams made for dramatic reckoning, but our heroes eschewed hand-wringing.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025
Despite industry-wide hand-wringing over the rise of streaming, watching a movie at home and seeing a movie in the theater are not mutually exclusive experiences.
—Vulture, 18 Sep. 2025
The current round of liberal hand-wringing about how conservatives have become far better at driving the political conversation stems in large part from Kirk.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 10 Sep. 2025
As the calendar turns to fall, there’s been a lot of hand-wringing over the 2025 summer box office, which the New York Times reported was at its lowest point since 1981.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2025
No more hand-wringing and excuses by politicians who love to talk while people are terrorized.
—Willie Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand-wringing. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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