tremulous

adjective

trem·u·lous ˈtrem-yə-ləs

Synonyms of tremulous next

: characterized by or affected with trembling or tremors

: affected with timidity : timorous

: such as is or might be caused by nervousness or shakiness

a tremulous smile

: exceedingly sensitive : easily shaken or disordered

tremulously adverb

tremulousness noun

Did you know?

Are you shaky on the meaning of tremulous?

Do you suspect that tremulous must be closely related to tremble? If so, you're right. Both of those words derive from the Latin verb tremere, which means "to tremble." Some other English offspring of tremere are tremor, tremendous, temblor (another word for earthquake), and tremolo (a term that describes a vibrating and quavering musical effect that was particularly popular for electric guitars and organs in the 1970s).

Example Sentences

She opened the letter with tremulous hands. He spoke with a tremulous voice.

Recent Examples on the Web Iron Horse open it with a tremulous, upbeat banjo line, slowly expanding the backdrop while singer-guitarist Vance Henry delivers the lyrics more clearly and coherently than ol’ OedVed ever attempted. —

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2023 Nina Turner had just belted out a short address to God’s Tabernacle of Faith Church in the cadences and tremulous volumes of a preacher when the Rev. Timothy Eppinger called on the whole congregation to lay hands on the woman seeking the House seat of greater Cleveland. —

New York Times, 20 July 2021 From the upper branches of the cottonwood trees overhead — whose shimmering, tremulous leaves are hardly ever quiet, but if the wind stirs at all, rustle and quiver all day long — comes now and then the soft melancholy cooing of the mourning dove, whose voice always seems far away. —

Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 26 Apr. 2014 The show, which is based on the romance novels by Julia Quinn and produced by Shonda Rhimes, seduces with its tremulous sighs, feigned swoons, and montages of scenes between the sheets. —

Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2021 Dominik seems to have directed De Armas to lead with her tremulous vulnerability, to drift through the movie in blurred states of fragility, anxiety and panic. —

Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2022 On the videos, wives recite lists of grievances in tremulous voices, like frightened villagers petitioning the czar in the days of the Russian Empire. —

Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2022 Light, as a tremulous Stepford wife watching her world unravel with each glass of wine, does an enormous amount of acting with very few lines, and McTeer plays her imperious critic with casual, note-perfect hauteur. —

Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 16 Nov. 2022 Tim’s shuddering vulnerability entwines with the tremulous, petulant voice Yang has chosen for Theresa, and the two characters set up a terrible vibrating resonance inside the same body. —

Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 12 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tremulous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.