cringinglyadv.

1675 R. Head Proteus Redivivus ii. iv. 186 John, who cringingly desires to know their Worships pleasure.

1736 F. Drake Eboracum Pref. sig. d^v An historian, or biographer, that dares not speak truth, or, cringingly sculks behind it, is not worthy of the name.

1811 F. Plowden Hist. Ireland 1801–10 III. iv. 427 That undaunted manliness..forced from..the wily Pitt those valuable rights, which the addressers had cringingly thrown under his feet.

1861 A. Trollope Barchester Towers 104 Nevertheless he was..cringingly civil.

1911 Times 18 Apr. 11/1 He is not cringingly grateful to providence, but confident in himself.

1963 Denton (Texas) Record–Chron. 9 Oct. 4/3 Youngsters..seem to enjoy it more as their parents cringingly protest.

2003 S. Manning in R. Crawford Heaven-taught Fergusson 98 Fergusson was neither naïve, nor cringingly deferential to ‘English’ models.

1973 Lincoln (Nebraska) Jrnl. 28 Apr. 7/8 The comedy bubbles along against a background of cringingly bouncy musakesque tunes.

1984 Guardian 7 June 21/6 Fussell pours chocolate sauce on his oyster stew with a cringingly embarrassing final chapter.

1992 New Scientist 26 Sept. 45/2 A corridor, cringingly called the ‘Heritage Corridor’.

2004 B. Hillsman Run Other Way ii. 11 The campaign had run a couple of the most cringingly bad political commercials ever made.