writhed

Writhed is the past tense and past participle of the verb writhe. Writhe describes twisting and turning the body or oneself, usually in response to pain, discomfort, or distress. It can also denote a strong, involuntary motion in reaction to a stimulus, and it may be used for both physical contortions and figurative struggles.

Common usage describes dramatic, often painful movement: for example, someone might writhe in agony on the floor, or a captive might writhe beneath a harsh sun. The phrase writhed with or in often appears with nouns such as pain, discomfort, embarrassment, or guilt. The present participle form is writhing, as in "he was writhing in his seat," and is used to describe ongoing action.

Etymology and related forms: writhed comes from the verb writhe, which has Old English and other Germanic roots meaning to twist or bend. English retains close cognates across the Germanic language family, and the form writhing is used for the continuous aspect of the action. In usage, writhed typically conveys a strong, involuntary motion and is often found in descriptive or narrative writing to convey intensity of sensation or emotion.