cringefest

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/ˈkɹɪnd͡ʒˌfɛst/

noun

A work or a situation that induces cringing; something very embarrassing.

Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nouncringefest (plural cringefests)

plural cringefests

  1. informalA work or a situation that induces cringing; something very embarrassing.

    What makes “Dr. Ken” such a cringefest is the disconnect between Mr. Jeong’s florid persona — pitched at the edge of desperation — and everything else on screen, which stays within the boundaries of a network family series.

    2015 September 30, Mike Hale, “Review: In ‘Dr. Ken’ on ABC, Ken Jeong Is a Physician With Jokes”, in New York Times

Origin

From cringe + -fest.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

cringefest. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cringefest

MLA

“cringefest.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cringefest. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cringefest,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cringefest.

Source: cringefest on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.