SHAKEN Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

shaken

verb

past participle of shake

as in shuddered

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in escaped

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shaken If an employee had occasion to cross paths with him, Casey would likely have introduced himself by his first name, shaken the person’s hand, and recollected a past encounter or shown an interest in what the employee was doing. — Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026 The announcement has shaken trust in polling infrastructure ahead of the midterms, especially as some candidates say their campaigns were directly harmed by the fake numbers. — Connor Greene, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 French cities have been shaken in recent weeks by vandalism and looting sparked by cost-of-living demonstrations, amid a broader crisis besieging the country’s lame-duck centrist government that has spiked French bond yields. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Hollywood jobs have been fleeing for years for cheaper filming locales, and the restaurant industry has been shaken by mounting closures. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 People who have already been diagnosed may also be shaken by the Applegate news and question whether their own diagnosis might be wrong. — Dylan Scott, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026 The shooting left neighbors shaken and raised broader concerns about gun violence and safety in the community. — Frederick Sutton Sinclair, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Now a married woman in midlife, Livia is shaken by a phone call from the long-absent Sigurd. — Monitor Reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Oct. 2026 Sporting Wichita Academy said the tragedy had shaken a soccer community built around families and teammates, thanking first responders, medical workers and bystanders who stepped in to help. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken

Verb

Conservatives shuddered to think how close the country had come to permanent entangling alliances.

— Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
McDonald’s shares fell nearly 5% Wednesday, their largest percentage drop since April 2025, as investors shuddered at the eye-popping price of improving McDonald’s 46,000 global stores.

— Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of shuddered

Verb

Concerns mounted in July, when OpenAI disclosed that two of its models escaped containment, accessed the open internet and breached a company called Hugging Face.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
So far, these productions have largely escaped disruption, but the riots have rattled film crews and prompted warnings from Hollywood studios’ security departments.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of escaped

Verb

During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

On his lone touchdown pass, Mayfield escaped Carolina pressure, evaded to the right, and threw it on the run, off his back foot, all while leaning back.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
Instead, Cartwright returns to his deceased grandfather’s home thrilled to see that Baker has successfully evaded both the Russian assassins and MI5’s own rabid dogs.

— K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of evaded

Verb

Smart and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann were not swayed by Baugh’s breakout senior season.

— Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Oct. 2026
Studies and audits of state voter rolls have repeatedly found that voting by noncitizens is rare and hasn’t swayed any elections.

— Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of swayed

Verb

Alabama avoided its first three-game losing streak since 2007 by beating Texas A&M and returned to the top 10.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Nuggets fans have hoped Denver would have avoided an 0-2 start to the season after dropping the first game of the year to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

— Ryan Gaydos OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026