as in faintly
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Recent Examples of shakily
The archival, iconic footage of Jordan scoring 38 points while dealing with illness in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals was intended to inspire willpower in a Bruins team that had run shakily out of the starting gate in its last two tournament games.
—
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
When Stanton shakily read her Declaration, the crowd seemed wary of the voting-rights point.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
His 2025 season started somewhat shakily, then included a quadriceps injury that cost him two games and opened the door for Jake Moody to temporarily handle the kicking duties.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
On a rainy Saturday last summer, I can be found paddling out, popping up, and generally hanging ten—goofily, shakily, semi-triumphantly—in a skylit East Village walk-up.
—Sally Singer, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2025
The defense began shakily, giving up 231 yards of total offense in the first half.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 30 Aug. 2025
On YouTube, cats with radial nerve paralysis were able to walk shakily.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
When Stanton shakily read her Declaration, the crowd seemed wary of the voting-rights point.
—Moira Donegan, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
His 2025 season started somewhat shakily, then included a quadriceps injury that cost him two games and opened the door for Jake Moody to temporarily handle the kicking duties.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
On a rainy Saturday last summer, I can be found paddling out, popping up, and generally hanging ten—goofily, shakily, semi-triumphantly—in a skylit East Village walk-up.
—Sally Singer, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2025
The defense began shakily, giving up 231 yards of total offense in the first half.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 30 Aug. 2025
On YouTube, cats with radial nerve paralysis were able to walk shakily.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shakily
Adverb
-
To the person receiving it, the word can land cold, clipped, or faintly dismissive.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Encouraged out to a party one night by his gregarious best friend (Shanti Masud), David accepts a pill from a stranger and, almost immediately afterwards, notices a young woman (Seydoux) across the room who is fixing him with a faintly predatory stare.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
18 May 2026
Adverb
-
Rejane Faria brought a powerful sense of truth to this character, delicately balancing all the nuances of a woman carrying an unbearable grief, yet still searching for a way to keep going and reconcile with herself.—
Marcelo Cajueiro,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Jimmy Dean’s precooked links delivered a delicately smoky, savory flavor with a hint of earthy white pepper.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
After a long at-bat, Cholowsky weakly popped out to first base.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
-
There will be disappointment about Mateta’s goal — Wharton should have been closed down quicker, and Batalla should not have parried the ball so weakly.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Adverb
-
Judge lined it feebly into the glove of an outfielder.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Infantino, as Henry Bushnell writes, talked rather feebly about working together and, randomly, said an upcoming under-15 tournament for all member associations was something to encourage co-operation.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shakily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakily. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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