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
-
This was a black one with blotches faintly outlined in pale yellow, a beautiful but deadly looking animal.—
Dr. C. E. Kuschel,
Outdoor Life,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The architecture is predominantly grand Victorian villas in candy-box lilacs and creams, their aged wooden panels faintly reminiscent of a Norwegian coastal town.—
Alexandra Genova,
TheWeek,
7 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Even delicately putting your hands on someone in that heated situation is crossing a personal boundary.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Evening Muse Floor Lamp The Evening Muse Floor Lamp boasts a sturdy gold base and a delicately ruffled lampshade.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Because Anna and Matteo were never actually together, her clear attraction with Michael doesn’t face any meaningful obstacles, aside from some obligatory (and weakly justified) initial sniping between the two leads.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
But Rodríguez struck out Olson on a check swing, and Austin Riley weakly rolled a change-up to shortstop to end the threat.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Heathcliff’s racial ambiguity — so central to the novel’s violence and otherness — is feebly erased.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
One man aboard the boat knew how to navigate the mangroves and sandbars of the keys, and with the late summer sun beating down on the rafters, the boat pushed out feebly into the open ocean.—
Miriam Pensack,
The Dial,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shakily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shakily. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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