Initially I started looking for the difference between winching and flinching and came to no real answer, as some sites defined the terms as synonymous with shirking away, then other searches resulted in wincing being described solely as a facial expression – followed by others saying this is totally false and that that's a grimace, without offering any real clarification.
From what I could piece together I came to the conclusion that: a) flinching is more subtle and doesn't necessarily have any facial expression b) wincing is similar, although accompanied by a visibly perturbed facial expression c) a grimace is only a facial shift, but one that's worse than a wince.
I'm not really sure if any of this is correct, however.
Also, I can't seem to find an exact explanation of how grimacing and wincing differ, or the exact situation one might be applied to (as some dictionaries said grimacing can be a sign of disapproval – which I don't see, but perhaps I'm exaggerating the expression in my mind). I always imagined grimacing as being a bit worse than wincing, perhaps an opening of the mouth up to the gums, while wincing would only be a few creases in the nose, or something – but again, if you Google the expression you'll get a variety of very pictures for both words, or worse, the same ones.
The weird thing is I can even think of books when these words were used interchangeably, which only adds to my confusion as a non-native speaker.
So to sum up, I really have two questions:
- What are the exact differences between the three terms, and in what situations are they best applicable?
- What's the difference between flinching and wincing as far as facial shifts go (assuming there are any)?
Best Answer
I would be sceptical of any site that defines anything as synonymous with "shirking away", since that phrase makes no sense in English. "Shirking" means avoiding a duty, and is unconnected with facial expressions.
"Grimacing" is all about facial expression, basically on the spectrum between disapproval/dislike/disgust/revulsion.
The thing shared by wincing and flinching is that they are basically pain responses. Almost the same but not quite. One nuance is that wincing is more about actual pain received (pain here subsumes the mental sort, people even wince at bad puns), whereas flinching is about avoidance of anticipated pain. In some contexts it is considered cowardly, so that "unflinching" becomes a word for courage and determination, sometimes ruthlessness, whereas if there is such a thing as "unwincing", it's less common and a lot less likely to be heard in e.g. patriotic or revolutionary rhodomontade.
You ever had someone touch your eyeball? You can let them do it without flinching? It's not easy.
There is no obligation to have any facial expression when flinching. The body part under threat is withdrawn, that's all. Put your hand on a hot-plate, and you'll surely flinch, you may wince as well if it burns you. You don't have to grimace.
(I see this overlaps on Josh, who wasn't there when I started to compose)