Past tense of blench; having flinched or recoiled; or an adjective describing something that has shrunk away.
Simple past tense of 'blench' formed by adding '-ed' suffix to the base verb.
The word captures that moment after a flinch—the state of having already recoiled—which poets and writers love because it describes both the action and the lingering physical position that follows.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.