How to Say “Cringe” in Italian

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cringe
In Italian, the English word cringe is used as a noun to mean secondhand embarrassment.
While you can use the noun cringe directly, Italians frequently use the verbal phrase fare cringe to express that something is cringeworthy.
Meaning: secondhand embarrassment (noun)

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The word cringe is a loanword from English used as slang by younger generations in Italy. For a more formal way to describe a situation or behavior that is awkward, embarrassing or cringeworthy, you can use the adjective impacciante.

Did you know?

  • In formal Italian, impacciante describes a person who is clumsy or awkward, coming from the word impaccio meaning 'hindrance'.
  • In Italian, the noun cringe is often treated as an invariable concept, meaning it does not change its form to match gender or number.
  • The phrase fare cringe follows the common Italian pattern of using the verb 'to do' (fare) to turn a noun into a descriptive action.

Examples in context

  • Hai appena postato cringe.
    You just posted cringe.
    This sentence shows how to use the noun cringe to describe a social media post.
    Tatoeba #11741284 by WM3DAS, translation #11615753 by hecko2
  • La sua presentazione in pubblico era davvero impacciante.
    His public presentation was really cringeworthy.
  • La sua risposta alla domanda del professore è stata davvero imbarazzante.
    His answer to the professor's question was really cringeworthy.
  • Quando ha iniziato a ballare, è stato uno strazio guardarlo.
    When he started dancing, it was cringe-inducing to watch him.
  • Ho provato solo cringe guardando quel film.
    I only felt cringe watching that movie.

Example conversation

Lorenzo and Sofia are watching a clumsy video on a phone.

  1. Lorenzo

    Guarda questo video, che cringe!
    Look at this video, how cringe!
  2. Sofia

    Sì, è davvero imbarazzante per lui.
    Yes, it is really embarrassing for him.
  3. Lorenzo

    Non riesco nemmeno a finirlo.
    I can't even finish watching it.
  4. Sofia

    Ti capisco, è troppo cringe.
    I understand you, it's too cringe.

Sources

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Larry Geoffrey
Larry GeoffreyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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