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

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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

His father, Bongo, recorded with artists on Houston label Swishahouse, while Toliver began scribbling rhymes in school notebooks and making rudimentary recordings through a PlayStation microphone.

— Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026
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

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

For roasted vegetables, tossing potatoes, carrots or Brussels sprouts with a spoonful of tallow can boost caramelization and add depth.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Opening the next possession on its 43-yard line, Oregon needed just four plays to find the end zone, with Thomas tossing a 44-yard touchdown pass to Evan Stewart.

— Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 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 each strip, pinch the ends, then gently stretch while twisting until 8 inches long.

— Hali Bey Ramdene, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Oct. 2026
The three-time NBA MVP stood behind a gaggle of teammates squished up against the CU bench, quietly surveying the madness from the 15-yard line while twisting the cap of his bottled water.

— Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of twisting

Verb

Intravenous lines can fail for several reasons, like a needle and catheter not being properly placed in a vein or wiggling out of place — or a vein rupturing and letting blood and IV fluid leak into tissue surrounding the IV site.

— Rebecca Boone, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of wiggling

Browse Nearby Words

squiggles

squiggling

squinch

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Style

“Squiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squiggling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of squiggling

verb

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