trembling 1 of 3

adjective

as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements trembling from the cold

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

trembling

2 of 3

noun

as in twitching
a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side at the first sign of the room's trembling, I ducked for cover, for I was certain that it was the start of the big quake

Synonyms & Similar Words

trembling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of tremble
as in quivering

Related Words

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 trembling
Noun
Lost in the trembling of my own body, trembling like Bunny’s body. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025 Still, the cluster exhibited a subtle trembling motion while it was held in place. — Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025 Olsen plays Joan’s indecision with winsome fluster, at first breathy and trembling but eventually finding her resolve. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025 Its strength ranges from mild, causing little more discomfort than a slight trembling, to severe, in which passengers or flight crew can be thrown around the cabin and risk injury if not wearing seatbelts. — Cat Rainsford, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026 At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action. — Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026 All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing. — Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 There’s Walter’s serene cello and Marjorie’s pensive, slightly coy violin, sometimes playful or petulant or, still, a little vain and secretive — other times thin and trembling, lost in the haze of dementia. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trembling
  1. shaky
  2. shaking
  3. quivering
  4. shivering
  5. twitching
  6. vibration
  7. shuddering
Adjective
  • Though still somewhat shaky, shipping confidence in transiting the vital strait is rising rapidly, leading forecasters to warn of an impending oil glut; Citi predicts prices could fall to as low as $60 a barrel by the end of the year.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
  • The Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness programs faced a shaky timeline, characterized by persistent legal roadblocks, which culminated in a 2023 Supreme Court defeat.
    — Paxton Honerkamp, CNBC, 2 July 2026
Definition of shaky
Noun
  • Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 July 2026
  • When the shaking subsided, Perez could not reach her nephew, or his wife, by phone.
    — Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 30 June 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • Located on the street level of the Harbor Boulevard complex, the new shop gives dessert-loving denizens another place to pick up the quivering treat.
    — Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
  • Johnston plays poor Bear as a quivering mess wracked with guilt that this monster — who used to be his friend — is the result of his own terrible decision-making.
    — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
Definition of quivering
Adjective
  • Standing 10 yards in front of us on a corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue was a shivering elderly woman who looked lost.
    — Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
  • What she’s produced is a searching, pointedly disorienting text, studded with passages of extreme beauty and generous humor, that wears whimsy like a shivering veil over consuming discomfort, even terror.
    — Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
Definition of shivering
Noun
  • Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.
    — Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2026
  • During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of twitching
Noun
  • Lymphatic drainage has gone from a niche clinical treatment to a category spanning $8 dry brushes and $300 vibration plates, with search interest climbing by triple digits since 2021.
    — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 30 June 2026
  • And stiffer sidewalls and larger tread blocks may transmit more surface vibration and noise into the passenger cabin.
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of vibration
Noun
  • The director again shows his action smarts by creating a brief lull — albeit while leaning hard on one of the more sudsy passages of composer Fernando Velázquez’s generic score — before the next shuddering impact sends the number of casualties skyrocketing.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Fellow clubgoers splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to stop the shuddering.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Definition of shuddering

Browse Nearby Words

trembles
trembling
trembly
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Cite this Entry

“Trembling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trembling. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on trembling

Nglish: Translation of trembling for Spanish Speakers

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