as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
with a shuddering extension of his hand, the poor beggar asked for a little charity
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in trembling
a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side
tried to control the shuddering of his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in jerking
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
huddled in the basement, we shuddered with fear as we heard the approaching tornado
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shuddering
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Fellow clubgoers splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to stop the shuddering.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The world itself is shuddering on some of these economic blows.
—ABC News, 3 May 2026
That all came to a shuddering halt after Khashoggi’s death.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Sat shuddering in my seat as the lights drew down.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
Most of the camp was enclosed with an electrified fence, to keep out the Big Men, the massive, shuddering ursids that could not be named (more on that later).
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Green, who was crowned the inaugural champion back in December 2024, saw her first reign come to a shuddering halt at the hands of Zelina Vega.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
The White House will be well aware of this fact, particularly in an environment where fiscally conservative Republicans will be shuddering at Uncle Sam’s $37 trillion (and growing) national debt.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025
The shuddering horror of the Coldplay couple.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
The director again shows his action smarts by creating a brief lull — albeit while leaning hard on one of the more sudsy passages of composer Fernando Velázquez’s generic score — before the next shuddering impact sends the number of casualties skyrocketing.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 28 Apr. 2026
Fellow clubgoers splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to stop the shuddering.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
That brewery is taking over Headflyer's space after closing its own Nordeast taproom in 2023, then shuddering entirely last year before rising from the ashes months later.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 14 May 2026
The world itself is shuddering on some of these economic blows.
—ABC News, 3 May 2026
That all came to a shuddering halt after Khashoggi’s death.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Sat shuddering in my seat as the lights drew down.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 15 Feb. 2026
Most of the camp was enclosed with an electrified fence, to keep out the Big Men, the massive, shuddering ursids that could not be named (more on that later).
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Green, who was crowned the inaugural champion back in December 2024, saw her first reign come to a shuddering halt at the hands of Zelina Vega.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
The White House will be well aware of this fact, particularly in an environment where fiscally conservative Republicans will be shuddering at Uncle Sam’s $37 trillion (and growing) national debt.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025
The shuddering horror of the Coldplay couple.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shuddering
Noun
-
All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.—
Ben Lerner,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
People gathered near the site to get a front row seat to the ground-shaking event.—
Abigail Dollins,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2026
-
Then, during one family movie night in November 2020, her husband noticed her arm was shaking.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
-
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of seizures can include short-term confusion, staring spells, stiff muscles and jerking movements of the arms and legs.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Noun
-
The main threat is vibrations, but with the help of vibration expert Kerstin Kracht, those have been reduced by 96 percent, says the report, to the same level a sculpture experiences on a plinth in a museum as visitors walk by.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
4 June 2026
-
According to Mayer’s account, sounds passed from the top of the machine through tubes that carried the vibrations up through the arms of the two figures and into their mouths, producing distinct male and female voices.—
Ron Cowen,
Scientific American,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Located on the street level of the Harbor Boulevard complex, the new shop gives dessert-loving denizens another place to pick up the quivering treat.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
26 May 2026
-
Johnston plays poor Bear as a quivering mess wracked with guilt that this monster — who used to be his friend — is the result of his own terrible decision-making.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Standing 10 yards in front of us on a corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue was a shivering elderly woman who looked lost.—
Richard Greenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
What she’s produced is a searching, pointedly disorienting text, studded with passages of extreme beauty and generous humor, that wears whimsy like a shivering veil over consuming discomfort, even terror.—
Paul McAdory,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shuddering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shuddering. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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