SHAKEN Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

shaken

verb

past participle of shake

as in shuddered

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in escaped

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of shaken And Paul certainly seems more shaken, less strident than in the previous films, having unleashed a wave of intergalactic bloodletting. — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 8 July 2026 Even Lionel Messi’s own wife was shaken by his staggering World Cup performance Tuesday in Atlanta against Egypt. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 July 2026 In his version of the city, the dust from Ground Zero had been shaken off, and everybody who was anybody was downtown being hot and bad. — Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 4 July 2026 All of this has shaken life in Crimea to the greatest extent since Russia illegally annexed the peninsula in 2014. — Marc Santora, New York Times, 4 July 2026 So an attack like this, which prosecutors believe was carefully planned, has shaken the city-state. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 July 2026 The quake knocked out power to about 8,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers, injured several people and caused thousands of dollars in damage to local businesses as merchandise was shaken from store shelves. — Velvet Wu july 3, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2026 Their relationship was shaken when Tasha moved to Miami for a new job, but not without an invitation for Atwater to join her. — Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 The theft has left manager Mona Lin shaken, having never expected something like this to happen in Eagan. — Jason Rantala, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken

Verb

The way the stadium shuddered with noise.

— Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 7 May 2026
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.

— Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026

Definition of shuddered

Verb

William Carney, a man who escaped slavery to become a Union soldier in the Civil War and who was awarded the Medal of Honor for protecting the American flag from touching the ground during battle.

— Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
Born enslaved in Maryland, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped to the North and emerged as the nation’s leading abolitionist and major literary political figure of his time.

— Melia Patria, ABC News, 4 July 2026

Definition of escaped

Verb

Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 June 2026
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.

— Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

American pressing — the type that previously won the ball against the likes of Paraguay and Bosnia — was easily evaded.

— Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 8 July 2026
Four parents and grandparents face child endangerment charges as officials probe how the family evaded schools, medical records and oversight in a village of fewer than 1,000.

— Julie Carr Smyth, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of evaded

Verb

Some gold ETFs directly invest in bullion kept in vaults, while others invest in shares of mining companies that tend to follow the price of gold while also being swayed by the companies’ management decisions, efficiency and financials.

— Liz Knueven, CNBC, 2 July 2026
That was apparent at a town hall debate Tuesday evening at Florida Memorial University, which some attendees said may have swayed them from one particular candidate to being open to hearing what the others had to say.

— Raisa Habersham July 1, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Definition of swayed

Verb

Indeed, the folks in Akron, Amherst and Monroe, among other locales, have long awaited the winds of change, which have avoided blowing out the stale air caused by chronic losing.

— Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo avoided a suspension for the start of this year’s tournament after a foul during a World Cup qualifier match.

— Yash Roy, Fortune, 5 July 2026