as in worry
disapproving
worried talk or behavior
There has been a lot of silly hand-wringing over the latest hike in interest rates.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
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 hand-wringing
There were more defections, more hand-wringing calculations.
—
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
But the weekend gathering wasn’t all hand-wringing and liquid refreshment.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Despite one spectacular, pulse-pounding aerial sequence that will take your breath away near the finale, and a brilliant, hand-wringing scene underwater in a sunken submarine, the eighth and perhaps final entry in a franchise that has provided a bounty of escapist thrills is a shrug of a movie.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Huang’s unapologetic stance on AI is bracing in its way, especially in contrast with the public hand-wringing of many AI chieftains, fretting about the dangers of their LLMs while continuing to develop them.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The latest round of hand-wringing on AI was set off last week when Alibaba’s co-founder said the rush to erect new facilities is getting ahead of demand for AI services.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Ironically, the film is tracking rather nicely for a March release despite all the hand-wringing and hubbub, with Snow White likely debuting at $50 million to $56 million domestically, according to a leading tracking service.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
There's obviously been a lot of hand-wringing over how Democrats treated the State of the Union address.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2025
When it was published a few years ago in The Believer, the essay prompted much hand-wringing about AI and creativity, separating the collaborationists from the resistance.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
But the weekend gathering wasn’t all hand-wringing and liquid refreshment.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
Despite one spectacular, pulse-pounding aerial sequence that will take your breath away near the finale, and a brilliant, hand-wringing scene underwater in a sunken submarine, the eighth and perhaps final entry in a franchise that has provided a bounty of escapist thrills is a shrug of a movie.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Huang’s unapologetic stance on AI is bracing in its way, especially in contrast with the public hand-wringing of many AI chieftains, fretting about the dangers of their LLMs while continuing to develop them.
—James Surowiecki, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The latest round of hand-wringing on AI was set off last week when Alibaba’s co-founder said the rush to erect new facilities is getting ahead of demand for AI services.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
Ironically, the film is tracking rather nicely for a March release despite all the hand-wringing and hubbub, with Snow White likely debuting at $50 million to $56 million domestically, according to a leading tracking service.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2025
There's obviously been a lot of hand-wringing over how Democrats treated the State of the Union address.
—ABC News, 9 Mar. 2025
When it was published a few years ago in The Believer, the essay prompted much hand-wringing about AI and creativity, separating the collaborationists from the resistance.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-wringing
Noun
-
The details for Alphabet will be necessary, as the stock has been held back by worries that artificial intelligence (AI) will disrupt their search business.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
-
That has led to worries that demand from AI and the data centers that feed it will strain the electric grid and lead to higher electric bills — a real concern in California, where ratepayers already pay among the highest rates in the country.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
Privacy and security concerns with smart thermostats These programs also raise important data privacy concerns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
-
In seconds, content appears without shipping or physical storage concerns.—
Vikrant Shaurya,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
This can cause unnecessary anxiety and concern for the dog.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
-
This is the current situation: Certainly, a trend of appreciating precious metals is at work, but there is also the theme of ‘strategic and critical metals’ anxiety pushing platinum.—
Clem Chambers,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
According to the report, the lightning strike left beachgoers, swimmers and surfers in a panic, and many ran for their cars in the immediate aftermath.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
13 July 2025
-
Steven was there for Conrad in that moment too, finding him on the beach hyperventilating and talking him out of the panic to distract him.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
-
Ming-Na Wen Tapped Into Deep Emotions To Play Dr. Fong In ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ While Ming-Na Wen doesn’t throw a punch in Karate Kid: Legends, that doesn’t mean her character hasn’t been in past battles, particularly those dealing with mental anguish.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
Concerns of fear growing in migrant communities Mora said this issue runs deep for him and others who work in immigration law.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
-
Several top Trump administration officials sold off stock market holdings in the days leading up to the president’s announcements of sweeping tariffs that sparked fears of a global trade war and rattled financial markets.—
Suhail Bhat,
USA Today,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
The move to resume sales of the H20 chips comes amid easing tensions between Washington and Beijing, with China relaxing controls on rare earth exports and the United States allowing chip design software services to resume in China.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 July 2025
-
But the dustup over the building renovation is just a superficial sign of the underlying tension between the administration and the central bank.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
But the obvious calculation behind this move illustrated the desperation of so many anonymous black showbiz performers (such as those who were paid to promote the Kamala Harris campaign) who eagerly demonstrate an unshakeable loyalty to the post-FDR legacy of Democratic Party devotion.—
Armond White,
National Review,
25 July 2025
-
Advertisement Still, that so many Democrats spent the weekend obsessing over a relatively unknown figure in Austin, who represents about 200,000 people in a deep-blue district, shows the extent of their desperation.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-wringing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-wringing. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share