WRITHE Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

writhe

verb

ˈrīt͟h

Definition of writhe

as in to weave

to cause to twine about one another tends to writhe his fingers together when he's nervous or upset

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to squirm

to make jerky or restless movements writhing in pain from his injuries

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of writhe That night, the horse was thrashing and writhing in agony, suffering from the pain of its wound. — Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 The cobra seems angry and writhes and attacks, and the handler holds the snake at bay, looking like a man who has made poor lifestyle choices and therefore deserves whatever is coming courtesy of his snake pal. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2026 The man with almost no injury was writhing in agony, while the man with a four-inch nail lodged near his brain kept working for six days, not even realizing the nail was there. — Kevin Kruse, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Once Turek has finished writhing about on the floor in a shambolic attempt to gather, Czibor is on hand to whip the ball away and tuck it home from six yards, the simplest of tasks. — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for writhe

Recent Examples of Synonyms for writhe

Verb

The village's pedestrian-only strip weaves through small shops, restaurants, and boutiques, and there's a Naval Museum housed in a 19th-century captain’s mansion that highlights the island’s maritime history—and is worth a visit.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
The Oilers didn’t have the same time and space to weave through traffic and choose their spots at will.

— Janson Duench, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of weave

Verb

The woman denied the allegations, and Ross hit her in the chest several times, the report says, and choked her, restricting her breathing by twisting the collar of her hoodie.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Soldered batteries are difficult to replace, while pronged ones can be twisted and removed from their station, like removing a plug from a wall outlet.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of twist

Verb

During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
When a sensor detected the left or right forelimb moving, the hub sent a limb-specific pulse through the body that reached an implant on the corresponding hind leg, which stimulated the sciatic nerve and made that leg twitch.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

Leo and the Gosses have been living amicably at arm’s length for 14 years, though their lives are about to become closely entwined, with disastrous results.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
There are few people more closely entwined with the New York City Ballet’s annual Fall Fashion Gala than Sarah Jessica Parker.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of entwine

Verb

Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of fidget

Verb

Kingsolver followed Unsheltered with Demon Copperhead, a retelling of David Copperfield about an Appalachian orphan tossed around the foster system after losing his mother to an overdose.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Tarik Skubal tossed six dominant innings in triple-digit heat, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Saturday.

— Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of toss

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“Writhe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/writhe. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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