Synonyms of reeling

reeling 1 of 2

adjective

as in giddy

having a feeling of being whirled about and in danger of falling down

the blood donor experienced a reeling sensation after standing up too quickly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• giddy
• dizzy
• whirling
• woozy
• weak
• vertiginous
• dazed
• swimmy
• faint
• aswoon
• light-headed
• groggy
• confused
• befuddled
• addled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• steady
• stable
• clearheaded

reeling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of reel

1

as in spinning

to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around

his mind reeled upon hearing the news that his employer had been indicted for fraud

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spinning
• swimming
• whirling
• turning
• swirling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• collecting
• settling
• calming
• steadying

2

as in staggering

to move forward while swaying from side to side

got off the amusement park ride reeling and barely able to stand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staggering
• lurching
• weaving
• rolling
• careening
• shuffling
• stomping
• tottering
• stumbling
• teetering
• waddling
• rocking
• swaying
• wavering
• doddering
• floundering
• wobbling
• pounding
• seesawing
• barging
• blundering
• scuffling
• stamping
• lumping
• shambling
• lumbering
• tramping
• swagging
• scuffing
• clumping
• clomping
• galumphing
• tromping

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of reeling

Adjective

Even if Lee were sober and thinking straight, her alluring, blows-hot-and-cold Betty Jo would be impossible for a guy like Lee — reckless, reeling, distractible — to resist. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025

Verb

Characters like Jacob Merrick, the small-town Jersey cop whose Pentagon clerk sister’s suicide has left him reeling. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 12 Aug. 2026

In a high-stakes gambit, Ellison is weighing moving Paramount’s operations to Tennessee or Texas, which has rattled an industry already reeling from thousands of job losses. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Four seasons later, the veteran defensive tackle has returned to a different team — one that missed the playoffs for the first time in six years, is reeling over contract disputes and is looking to rebuild on both sides of the ball. — Abby Disalvo, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026

As the movie shows, local foodies would swarm the ocean whenever striped bass appeared, reeling them in with pieces of Wonder Bread and then whacking them on the head. — Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

When reached Friday, Caruga’s brother said his family is still reeling from his sibling’s death. — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026

North Dakota’s badlands served as both a forge and a retreat for Roosevelt (a dedicated conservationist), who lived and ranched nearby in the 1880s, still reeling from the deaths of his wife and mother on the very same day. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 7 Aug. 2026

Bitcoin and crypto traders are still reeling from a massive $100 million bitcoin attack that sparked fears of a fresh bitcoin price crash. — Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

As local law enforcement mourns McKnight, his young family is left reeling. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026