Synonyms of oscillating

oscillating

verb

present participle of oscillate

1

as in fluctuating

to move back and forth in a rhythmic manner

When a guitar string is plucked, it oscillates to produce sound waves in the air.

Related Words

• fluctuating
• shaking
• rolling
• undulating
• rocking
• flickering
• pitching
• swinging
• swaying
• vibrating
• lurching
• wagging
• waggling
• wobbling
• fluttering
• tossing
• careening
• seesawing
• vacillating
• wavering
• staggering
• weaving
• jolting
• tumbling
• reeling
• jerking
• tottering
• faltering
• floundering
• halting
• waddling
• bucking
• blundering
• stumbling
• teetering
• hobbling
• hitching
• toddling
• doddering

2

as in alternating

to continuously change from one belief, feeling, or condition to an opposite one

The model's hair color oscillates between bleach blond and jet black.

Related Words

• alternating
• swinging
• fluctuating
• swaying
• balancing
• seesawing
• flip-flopping
• vacillating
• yo-yoing
• wavering
• hawing
• wobbling
• staggering
• dithering
• hesitating
• hemming
• faltering
• halting
• hanging back
• weighing
• teetering
• pondering
• scrupling
• debating
• deliberating
• considering
• waffling
• hedging
• equivocating
• shilly-shallying
• pussyfooting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of oscillating

An oscillating dub siren sounds against the chime of a triangle and crackling waves pitched to loud white noise. — Emma Madden, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026

Understanding these effects could help identify the physical limits of controlling electrons with rapidly oscillating light fields. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026

The following performances were, to borrow from West’s lexicon of rehearsal instructions, an oscillating mix of corny and crispy. — Nolan Kelly, Artforum, 26 Oct. 2026

The fashion double act perfectly fit the rhythm of a musician whose personal style has become increasingly eclectic, oscillating between oversized sportswear, collegiate staples, rare archival finds, and extraordinarily expensive accessories. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026

Dreame’s newest smart fan, the futuristic MF10, provides wide-ranging airflow via two bladeless, independently oscillating wings. — Derek Rose, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

And, not only that, but the swing starts oscillating faster and faster. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

The Super-Kamiokande experiment, an enormous 110 million-pound (50-kiloton) vessel of ultrapure water buried under a mountain in Japan, discovered in 1998 that neutrinos produced in the atmosphere were oscillating. — Doug Cowen, The Conversation, 8 Oct. 2026

How to Change the Grout in Your Shower Start your refresh by removing the old grout with grout removal tools like a grout saw or an oscillating tool equipped with a grout removal blade. — Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 20 Sep. 2026