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

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

While serving as mayor, the city was reeling from the Carswell Air Force Base’s closure, but it was reopened as the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in 1994. — Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Aug. 2026

Hospitals have been left reeling and have sought to install solar panels to keep the lights on. — ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Other researchers had reported similar delays from the agency, which was still reeling from the effects of mass layoffs in 2025. — Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026

Plus, it's got an automatic reeling system to pull the tethering cable back into its body at the press of a button. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 29 July 2026

Her grieving father temporarily relocates the family to Donegal, Ireland, which in 1973, as O’Donnell reminds us, was reeling from its very own Troubles. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 July 2026

The news received glowing reviews everywhere, with the possible exception of Tampa Bay, where a team already reeling from a historic playoff collapse in their first year without Yzerman worried about what might come next. — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 24 July 2026