Dictionary

do not kill the part of you that is cringe, kill the part of you that cringes en · X

Etymology

Likely coined or popularized in 2021. Oldest find via Google is from 2021-05-09 by NorthGirluwu

Meanings

1. (informal) Overcome fear of embarrassment or judgment by being confident in your own actions.
   • 2023, ', Do not kill the part of you that is cringe, Pau Suárez Gomís: Do not kill the part of you that is cringe, kill the part of you that cringes. […] My interpretation of this simple yet profound saying continuously finds me. It encourages me to burn down the shackles of self perception, criticism and judgment. To recycle that energy into something more worthwhile. Perhaps, into energy for being who I really am, regardless of how it is received or perceived by others.
   • The goal isn't necessarily to build up your cringe tolerance or to develop an "I don't give a f***" mentality. The more logical path is to rid yourself of the trigger that so many people have. Those people aren't bad, they're just conditioned. They're insecure. They're comfortable in their insecurity to the point where they choose opinions over truth. If you need to be fired up to embrace cringe, just compare yourself to these people. The key to stepping into the freedom that being cringe offers is not to kill the part of you that is cringe, it's to kill the part of you that cringes. 2025, Case Kenny, The Opposite of Settling: How to Get Everything You Want Out of Love and Life Without Losing Your Spark, page 44:
   • In an interview with Time magazine, after being chosen as Person of the Year for 2023, she said: "You should celebrate who you are now, where you're going, and where you've been."²²⁸ When the interviewer, Sam Lansky, told her that she made him think of a meme that says "Do not kill the part of you that is cringe—kill the part of you that cringes," Swift approved. 2026, Nana Ariel and Dana Riesenfeld, Clichés We Live by: From Modernity to AI, page 178:
   • 2021, ', Anthony, @Vanityxzhttps://x.com/Vanityxzhttps://x.com/Vanityxz/status/1429101097004802048?lang=en: Don’t kill the part of you that is cringe. Kill the part that cringes 🐸
   • Don’t kill the part of you that’s cringe; kill the part that cringes. Trying something new is embarrassing. It’s that first day of singing lessons where you’re afraid the teacher might quit their job because your voice is irredeemable. It’s learning how to swing a golf club or dance and realizing that you’re made of stiff metal rods. It’s sharing something you wrote online and feeling like you’re at the dentist: mouth open wide, unable to speak, while the dentist gets their dentist friends then says, “Look at how crazy this is!” I feel that every time I share something I post. It makes me want to run away and never share another post. But a meme inspired me recently, and I think it’s got a good point. It said, “Do not kill the part of you that’s cringe… Kill the part that cringes.” 2022, ', Own Your Cringe, Francis Alcantara
   • Do not kill the part of you that is cringe, kill the part that cringes 2021, ', r/teenagers, NorthGirluwu

Relateds

don't hate the player, hate the game · cringe culture · cringeworthy