The face you make when you watch a 5-year old twerk on Musical.ly.

1. v. cringe - to recoil in embarrassment
2. n. cringe - an instance of recoiling in embarrassment

Modern usage stems from its popularity among uncreative Zoomers circa 2013 who continue employ it as a banal and inane pejorative in virtual discourse when they feel threatened by media, memes, or posts that 1. break convention as defined by their narrow social experience in an arbitrary microcosm of internet culture 2. exceed their puerile comprehension in complexity or length or 3. induce even the slightest sense of insecurity for which they cannot muster a lazy conditioned riposte.

In this regard, the word has come to mean "An expression of pious and empty derision toward another person's thoughts, actions, or beliefs that (without discussion) implies ones own beliefs are normative and therefore superior."

Embarrassing and awkward, the app tiktok users and the band bts fans is this.

When a friend, parent, or guardian embarrasses you in the worst way.

Examples:
1. Your mom is acting like she has a youtube channel and she says she gonna make one >o<
2. When your friend keeps ranting about MLP sub culture -,-
3. Jacob Satorious. That its. Just Jacob Satorious.

Before the internet trolls changed the meaning of this word, "cringe" was a verb used to express embarrassment or disgust.

Now, this word is mostly used to define something that you dislike or do not understand. Internet trolls use this word as an insult towards people in fandoms, with bad grammar, or both combined. Trolls also use this word to describe memes on some occasions.