as in nerves
a sense of panic or extreme nervousness
looking down from the window ledge sent shivers up my spine
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Recent Examples of shivers
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Algebra in between scenes… sends shivers down my spine!
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Their accounts gave me shivers of recognition—their experiences echoed my father’s stories.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
Earlier this week, Anthropic released new plugins for specific industries, from legal to finance to biotech research, sending shivers down the spine of Wall Street.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Shake off the winter shivers, Boise.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
Every year, homes are affected as the early shivers give way to the bitter cold of January and February.
—Connie Etemadi, Freep.com, 17 Jan. 2026
That phrase, narrative control at scale, should send shivers down your spine.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
And at the same time, while the East shivers, much of the West will bask under unusually mild to even warm weather.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
Loznitsa’s methods are grim and exacting, but the effect is never monotonous; there are shivers of Hitchcockian suspense, plus a whispery cackle of satire that veers toward the Kafkaesque.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Algebra in between scenes… sends shivers down my spine!
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Their accounts gave me shivers of recognition—their experiences echoed my father’s stories.
—Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026
Earlier this week, Anthropic released new plugins for specific industries, from legal to finance to biotech research, sending shivers down the spine of Wall Street.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Shake off the winter shivers, Boise.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 22 Jan. 2026
Every year, homes are affected as the early shivers give way to the bitter cold of January and February.
—Connie Etemadi, Freep.com, 17 Jan. 2026
That phrase, narrative control at scale, should send shivers down your spine.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
And at the same time, while the East shivers, much of the West will bask under unusually mild to even warm weather.
—Doyle Rice, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shivers
Noun
-
Still, wanting to be a team player, Anthony is warm, friendly, and offers an encouraging word to the future CEO — despite Dougie’s obvious nerves and his random outbursts in Jamaican Patois.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2026
-
If nerves flare, breathe slowly, and choose progress over perfection.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The mind shudders at the thought.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
-
So one shudders to think what might happen when the Dolphins now face a murderer’s row of elite running backs and mobile quarterbacks.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Griffin Creek, a 25-year-old living in southern Oregon and working in IT, makes $20 an hour and splits $1,500 rent for a 900-square-foot apartment with his girlfriend.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Nayak splits a three-bedroom house with two fellow Amazon employees.—
Celia Fernandez
Zachary Green,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After a catastrophic debris strike destroys their shuttle during a spacewalk, Sandra Bullock’s astronaut is left untethered, spinning silently against the vastness of space, while George Clooney’s veteran astronaut tries to guide her from a distance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
-
What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn – amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics, and explosive action – gives birth to an exploration of what drives us, sustains us, and ultimately destroys us.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
President Barack Obama shakes hands with Shigeaki Mori at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, on May 27, 2016.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Famously there is a leap day every four years—that shakes things up.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Endlessly switching between apps and online platforms splinters our attention and can lead to digital exhaustion, leaving us anxious, apathetic and unfocused.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Megyn Kelly is continuing her hard-right tack, lashing back at Ben Shapiro and aligning herself with Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon as the MAGA movement dramatically splinters.—
Kimberly Nordyke,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The music of home often quivers with nostalgia.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
-
There’s a breathless mood in the air that quivers and quakes at the protests to come.—
Sara Stridsberg
September 15,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Heat from the sun vaporizes ice material in the comet's solid nucleus, releasing masses of gas and dust that forms a reflective cocoon, or coma, around the nucleus.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
This vaporizes, driving an expander that spins a generator to produce energy.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shivers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shivers. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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