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Writhe wound its way to us from the Old English verb wrīthan, meaning “to twist,” and that ancestral meaning lives on in the word’s current uses, most of which have to do with twists of one kind or another. Among the oldest of these uses is the meaning “to twist into coils or folds,” but in modern use writhing is more often about the physical contortions of one suffering from debilitating pain or attempting to remove oneself from a tight grasp (as, say, a snake from a hawk’s talons). The word is also not infrequently applied to the twisting bodies of dancers. The closest relation of writhe in modern English lacks any of the painful connotations often present in writhe: wreath comes from Old English writha, which shares an ancestor with wrīthan.
Synonyms
Examples of writhe in a Sentence
Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 1 July 2024
Sivan writhed around in front of and behind Lynch, with the actor embracing Sivan from behind before removing his shirt amid Sivan's lap dance.
—Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 28 June 2024
The second pour of the patriarch’s bucket writhed with eels—a pound and a half’s worth, all told.
—Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 17 June 2024
Ducks waddle in circles, twisting their necks, writhing on the ground.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 11 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for writhe 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'writhe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Writhe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writhe. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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