as in flinched
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub
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Recent Examples of recoiled
Blazy, a Parisian born and bred, recoiled from the claim.
—
Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
Some recoiled at the launch and others quit their positions.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Videos recorded by witnesses at the Utah Valley University event showed Kirk being shot in the neck and bleeding heavily as his body recoiled.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
As detailed in Tina Fey’s 2011 memoir, Bossypants, Jimmy Fallon, who was also in the show’s cast at the time, jokingly recoiled and told Poehler to stop it.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
Markets recoiled, and in just one week the S&P 500 plunged more than 12 percent while both Value and Growth stocks suffered double-digit percentage losses.
—John Buckingham, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
But the abruptness of the changes spooked longtime staff, who understandably recoiled at the implication that critics are the same as regular beat reporters.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Nathan Heller, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2025
Some recoiled at the launch and others quit their positions.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
Videos recorded by witnesses at the Utah Valley University event showed Kirk being shot in the neck and bleeding heavily as his body recoiled.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
As detailed in Tina Fey’s 2011 memoir, Bossypants, Jimmy Fallon, who was also in the show’s cast at the time, jokingly recoiled and told Poehler to stop it.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2025
Markets recoiled, and in just one week the S&P 500 plunged more than 12 percent while both Value and Growth stocks suffered double-digit percentage losses.
—John Buckingham, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
But the abruptness of the changes spooked longtime staff, who understandably recoiled at the implication that critics are the same as regular beat reporters.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recoiled
Verb
-
Sharen Gibson, 72, never flinched.—
Barbara Bry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
But none of the band members ever flinched over the divide that formed over their pre- and post-Vheissu sound.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Russell winced, remembering the backlash.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This isn’t the first time that Guthrie has publicly cringed over having to ask the question.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Oct. 2025
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During a hospital stay, Roy’s enfeebled mother fixates on the caste and religious affiliations of the doctors treating her—the sort of thing that will be familiar to anyone who has cringed at a diminished elder’s unfiltered prejudices.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recoiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoiled. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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