I. ˈrīth verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīthan to twist; akin to Old High German rīdan to turn, twist, Old Norse rītha to twist, writhe, Old Swedish vrītha to twist, Lithuanian riesti to wind, roll, Old English wrigian to turn, go — more at wry
transitive verb
1.
a. : to twist into coils or folds
b. : to twist so as to distort, strain, break off, or cause pain : wrench , wring
c. : to twist (the body or a bodily part) in pain
2. : intertwine
so writhed together that you can liken them only to a forest of snakes — Thomas Wood †1950
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to move or proceed with twists and turns : wind in a sinuous fashion
wreaths of windblown smoke … writhe in long spirals — Alice Duncan-Kemp
the line writhed across the canvas — F.J.Mather
a six-foot boa constrictor … writhed up a high-tension tower — Time
b. : to exhibit writhing markings : become covered with twists and contortions
the canvas writhes with curves — F.J.Mather
a black tonneau writhing with carvings — Earle Birney
2. : to become twisted, contorted, or wrested about in or as if in pain or struggling
writhed and thrashed … in a sort of convulsion — C.G.D.Roberts
the victim writhes and curls amid the stench of burning flesh — H.G.Armstrong
dancing girls leaped and writhed and wriggled their hips — Harrison Forman
3. : to suffer keenly from something tormenting
touched some hidden nerve of pride, and made her writhe in agony — G.D.Brown
corrupt men in the machines writhe in the presence of his obvious integrity — Helen Fuller
Synonyms:
agonize , squirm , writhe mean to twist or turn, usually continually, in physical or mental distress. writhe always suggests nervous or convulsive contortions; in application to physical distress it implies great pain; in application to mental distress, it implies a torturing sense of embarrassment, shame, bafflement, or frustration
saw an owl rise with the tiny rabbit writhing in its claws — Willard Robertson
a great human hulk writhing under the unutterable torments of mastery he cannot contend with — George Meredith
the rest of one's being writhes helplessly under a double shame — J.C.Powys
agonize can suggest either severe pangs (as of torture or anguish) or the struggles of one straining violently for a particular end (as victory)
finally recognizes the hopelessness of his marriage and clears out, upset and agonized over events — Chad Walsh
the gray-minded people who cannot rejoice just as they cannot agonize — Edith Hamilton
her tender, innocent agonizings for … the children's happiness — Agnes S. Turnbull
squirm implies wriggling or turning on a less dignified scale, suggesting great uneasiness rather than profound distress, as from shrinking or wincing under sarcasm or embarrassment
squirmed like a little boy called on to explain himself before the principal — Dorothy Baker
felt so embarrassed that I squirmed — Edita Morris
II. noun
( -s )
: an act or instance of writhing : contortion , twist
a more than ordinary writhe of the body — Aldous Huxley