SQUIGGLING Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

squiggling

verb

present participle of squiggle

as in twitching

to make jerky or restless movements a pediatrician's waiting room full of squiggling toddlers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in scribbling

to write or draw hastily or carelessly there are some illegible notes squiggled in the margins of the old book

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 squiggling The salamanders are still squiggling commas inside them. — Nathan Rott, NPR, 27 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for squiggling

Verb

This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of twitching

Verb

The gesture sets off a chain reaction, as a parade of strangers begins scribbling their own complaints, anxieties and grudges across the same tiles.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
Barratt plays Tom Riddle, a former Hogwarts student who meets Harry in the form of a mysterious voice magically scribbling messages through an enchanted notebook.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of scribbling

Verb

The preview ends with a heart-swelling image of Osbourne smiling and squirming with joy in his throne.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
The kitten appears to be squirming in his alleged captor’s arms in surveillance footage of the incident, which Innab reviewed after Jabal’s disappearance.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of squirming

Verb

Cook, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid a little at a time as needed, until sauce lightly coats pasta, about 2 minutes.

— Carla Lalli Music, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
That was the message from Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, who learned this week he had been fined $8,000 by the NFL for tossing the ball out of the end zone after his touchdown catch in a 31-10 win over the Broncos on Monday.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of tossing

Verb

And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
Even after a bailiff woke him up, Martin slumped over in his wheelchair, inside a courtroom bullpen, occasionally jerking and opening his eyes.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerking

Verb

Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of fidgeting

Verb

For much of the 1990s and 2000s, Guatemala had been twisting its way toward democracy, but corruption networks and drug traffickers had insinuated themselves into the country’s institutions.

— Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
But Mulderrig’s red Harley-Davidson Sportster slammed into the rear passenger side of Oates’ Cadillac, crumpling the back corner and twisting the wheel out of shape.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of twisting

Verb

Upon closer examination, beats like the ones that Fleming’s team described turned out to reflect not quantum coherence, but a resonance between wiggling molecular bonds.

— Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026
Rodents can measure tight spaces, feel nearby walls, and map out their surroundings by quickly wiggling their whiskers.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of wiggling

Browse Nearby Words

squiggles

squiggling

squinch

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Squiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squiggling. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of squiggling

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fungible

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes