WRIGGLE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

wriggle

verb

ˈri-gəl

Definition of wriggle

as in to squirm

to make jerky or restless movements a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to crawl

to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to worm

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces

Synonyms & Similar 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 wriggle After that moment, Ali was able to wriggle his way out of everything Hotch through at him from there. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The baby squirrel wriggled, knocked from its forest home in the storm. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026 The overwhelming success of Season 1 gave the executive producers wriggle room for Season 2. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 The toddler has already slid halfway down her mother’s lap, her small torso thrown back, using her foot as leverage to wriggle free. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wriggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle

Verb

Erling Haaland headed City level in the second half, but Jackson got his second and the winner with a first-time finish that squirmed under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
In the back, tanks bubbled with live lobsters while crawfish squirmed in boxes nearby.

— Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of squirm

Verb

On thinner material, that gives you a fighting chance at keeping heat and warpage under control without crawling along at a miserable pace.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2026
The bystander told the woman to get down on the floor before crawling into the home beneath the heaviest heat and dragging her to safety, according to the fire department.

— Richard Ramos, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

When watching the finished film, Howe realized their early life experiences wormed their way into the screenplay, too.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026
Over the next several decades, and countless strangulations, Homer and Bart wormed their way into our hearts.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of worm

Verb

By spring, with the opportunity fading for a mass relocation of homes and businesses, optimism crept back into public discourse.

— Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026
Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Trees wrap around buildings, roots sprout from riverbeds of plastic trash, and vines creep down the street.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of creep

Verb

However, even in situations where YCSE might appear ineligible, there is wiggle room that could allow Seyfried to sneak in.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
For a solid thirty minutes, the candidates defended their honor as the race’s most pro-Israel candidate — at times sneaking in jabs about their opponent.

— Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of sneak

Verb

Before long, the barricades lay tossed aside and the tents within went up in smoke, along with Vucic's power.

— JOVANA GEC, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Before long, the barricades lay tossed aside and the tents within went up in smoke, along with Vucic’s power.

— Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of toss

Verb

Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Arthur Russell — Hall’s primary musical collaborator and the artist most associated with his own work — lived on the top floor, a cord of bootleg electricity snaking up from Ginsberg’s window to his apartment.

— Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of snake

Browse Nearby Words

wretches

wriggle

wriggled

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wriggle

verb

Example Sentences

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