Definition of flickering
: moving or shining irregularly or unsteadily
a flickering light Everything was lit by dingy fluorescent bulbs, half of which were broken or flickering.— Brian Selznick
also
: uncertain and feeble
… he seems to have had only a flickering awareness of what he was doing … — Robert Penn Warren And some of the exclamation marks and the nostalgia for degradation revive flickering thoughts of Celine. — Herbert Gold The doctors said they couldn't stop the support measures needed to sustain so flickering a life without a court order. — Arthur Allen
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for flickering
The first known use of flickering was circa 1544
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