as in to flinch
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
the social worker tried not to recoil from the sight of the cockroach in the bathtub
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in revulsion
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of recoil
Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2025
The movie seems to recoil from its own hammering dramatics, with Bryce Dessner’s score toggling uneasily between jocular blues and dour, overcompensating strings.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The recoil is enough to knock a drone off course and may cause the operator to lose sight of the target.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recoil
Verb
That heartbreak reverberated across the Charlotte region as arts and culture groups recoiled at the cuts and what might come next.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 13 May 2025
The movie seems to recoil from its own hammering dramatics, with Bryce Dessner’s score toggling uneasily between jocular blues and dour, overcompensating strings.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
Specifically, the recoil resulting from the merger of the two black holes 10 million years ago may explain aspects of Sgr A*'s motion seen in the present day.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
The recoil is enough to knock a drone off course and may cause the operator to lose sight of the target.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recoil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for recoil
Verb
-
When Afrikaner apartheid was instituted in 1948, Washington didn’t flinch.—
Time,
Time,
22 May 2025
-
The game was scoreless until Amarillo scored twice in the top of the seventh, but Aledo didn’t flinch.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 May 2025
Noun
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The recognition of their similarity seems to breed revulsion, not solidarity.—
Moira Donegan,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2025
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They’re made to live as subjects of revulsion by day and secret objects of desire by night, all while risking sudden turns toward brutality born from vulnerable self-loathing.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
15 May 2025
Verb
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Goertzel winced, because the question is challenging.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 May 2025
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Not just my face but also the faces of all middle-aged women who foolishly smiled, laughed, winced, frowned or squinted between birth and the year 2025.—
Gwen Rockwood,
Arkansas Online,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Recoil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/recoil. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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