Synonyms for cringing

Verb

1. flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quail, move

usage: draw back, as with fear or pain; "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"

2. fawn, crawl, creep, cringe, cower, grovel, bend, flex

usage: show submission or fear

Adjective

1. cringing, groveling, grovelling, wormlike, wormy, submissive (vs. domineering)

usage: totally submissive