as in flaring
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as in darting
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
a dragonfly flickering above the salt marsh
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Recent Examples of flickering
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022
Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
Sensing something was wrong, the family looked out a back window and noticed a flickering light.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Already, warning signals are flickering in bond markets.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Apartment blocks stand in rows, their windows flickering with fire.
—Babak Rahimi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
During this stage of the descent, Orion will be engulfed in a fireball, flickering plasma igniting outside the window hatches.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
For years, my bedroom TV was a heavy, buzzing relic from my college days that required a specific magic tap on the side just to stop the screen from flickering.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
That's partly because of the striking all-hard-sided aluminum build, partly because of the Dickinson mini-fireplace flickering away inside, and partly because of the cozy, rustic layout Kimbo has managed to carve out of a tiny space.
—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
This year, the rumors swirl, a constant, low hum: Outer Heaven and Cuatro Gato, two more flickering lights, are expected to fade.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022
Verb
Absorptive, addictive, violent (and by then near-universal, with televisions flickering in ninety-five per cent of American homes), TV was officially a bad mom.
—Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
Sensing something was wrong, the family looked out a back window and noticed a flickering light.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2026
Already, warning signals are flickering in bond markets.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
Apartment blocks stand in rows, their windows flickering with fire.
—Babak Rahimi, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
During this stage of the descent, Orion will be engulfed in a fireball, flickering plasma igniting outside the window hatches.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026
Meis moves from the Baroque virtuosity of Rubens’s study of a drunken mythological figure, through the jagged modernist puzzle of Marc’s allegorical animals, to Mitchell’s painterly abstractions and their flickering landscape allusions.
—Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
For years, my bedroom TV was a heavy, buzzing relic from my college days that required a specific magic tap on the side just to stop the screen from flickering.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 31 Mar. 2026
That's partly because of the striking all-hard-sided aluminum build, partly because of the Dickinson mini-fireplace flickering away inside, and partly because of the cozy, rustic layout Kimbo has managed to carve out of a tiny space.
—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flickering
Adjective
-
Red dwarfs are also prone to violently flaring and the outpouring of radiation from them can strip an atmosphere clean off a planet.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
After the orchestra launches in with a full flaring sound, the cello takes the lead on a sweet, almost pensive solo.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From corners, Bromley pack the six-yard box, with multiple players darting towards its centre.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The hungry sharks surrounded Barley in the clips, leaping out of the water and quickly darting around his Sea-Doo.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Here, Hancock shares more tips and tricks for setting your garden aglow with gorgeous spring color care of his favorite annual varieties.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The production, subduedly aglow in Adam Honoré and Spencer Doughtie’s lighting, has the lyrical beauty of a vintage photograph magically summoned to life.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This commentary was not from a wonkish TikToker nor a network pundit but from TMZ, the merciless purveyor of celebrity dirt, which published the images of Graham after a citizen vacationer noticed the senator flitting through the theme park and sent pictures.—
Paula Mejía,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
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Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, and Chace Crawford catapulted to fame playing the scheming social butterflies flitting around Gossip Girl's Upper East Side.—
Rachel DeSantis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Casting two of the most smoldering contemporary actors on the planet clearly stacks the deck, and carries on the long tradition of pairing a dashing figure of brooding handsomeness (Laurence Olivier, Ralph Fiennes) with a breathless screen beauty (Merle Oberon, Juliette Binoche).—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Kick your legs in small up-and-down fluttering motions while keeping your lower back flat and abs tight throughout.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Video from the scene hours after the fire first erupted showed ash fluttering through the air and burned paper in the yards of homes across the street from the warehouse.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Hot black smoke socked her in the face; the staircase had become a glowing, spastic frenzy.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
According to Moore, stainless steel requires regular cleaning to keep a glowing appearance.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
New Year’s Eve brought music and dancing to the central square.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Moon is in your sign dancing beautifully with Mercury, Mars and Saturn, encouraging you to make sensible, practical plans for the future, especially related to travel, publishing, medicine and the law.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flickering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flickering. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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