SQUIRMY Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

squirmy

adjective

Definition of squirmy

as in wiggly

making jerky or restless movements a squirmy baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 squirmy The screwworm is actually a parasitic fly named for its larvae, which look like squirmy worms. — Alice Park, Time, 2 July 2026 Simply set out bowls of coffee grounds among your outdoor seating areas to prevent ants, mosquitoes, fruit flies, and squirmy critters from crashing your barbecue. — Joey Skladany, Southern Living, 17 June 2026 Fjord is a squirmy drama in which Stan and Renate Reinsve play a married couple who move with their five children from Romania to Norway to be closer to Reinsve’s mother, only to draw the interest of child protective services when a teacher at school spots bruises on one of the kids. — Rachel Handler, Vulture, 26 May 2026 With that disclosure out in the open, the rest of the squirmy attendees subtly sank deeper into their seats, accepting Steinem’s orbit as a safe space. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026 One of them is a squirmy, intensely relatable dark comedy about the escalating horrors of planning a wedding. — Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026 Adding to the action is a colorful, squirmy worm that will get kids laughing and moving. — Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for squirmy

Adjective

Teaching first grade has always involved dealing with wiggly and talkative kids.

— Stacker, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
At the edges of the channel, near the walls, Rout and Lim’s team saw rapid fluctuations of molecules — those were the wiggly nucleoporins.

— Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026

Definition of wiggly

Adjective

Especially when the protagonists are fighting gangsters, offensive editors, twitchy Vatican librarians, and an oversized Jason Momoa, to claim the hand of Gal Gadot’s two characters, one in the present, one in the past.

— A.D. Amorosi, SPIN, 6 Aug. 2026
However, his ability to mirror in space and react quickly to twitchy pass rushers can be an adventure, which is partly why a transition from tackle to guard makes sense.

— Dane Brugler, New York Times, 30 July 2026

Definition of twitchy

Adjective

Once the veteran players and most of the top seeds vanished from the Canadian Open, succumbing to injury and upset, the stakes of the tournament in Montreal took on a new edge.

— Ava Wallace, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Council member Chris Whatley said the entire council has been upset about the news of a data center, and vowed to do everything in his official capacity to protect Keller residents.

— Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of upset

Adjective

Both players are wriggly, elusive dribblers.

— Luke Bosher, New York Times, 25 June 2026
Medieval Christians looked at the very same phenomenon and imagined it as a reflection of divine will, the transformation of a wriggly worm into a flying jewel an earthly reminder of the transfiguration of Jesus to Christ.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025

Definition of wriggly

Adjective

Truth is, Westside Cowboy — all of whom are in their early to mid-twenties — are just as worried about it all as anyone else.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2026
Buyers were interested but worried about the optics of a show revolving around two wealthy, gallivanting white guys.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of worried

Adjective

And the more anxious students become about their career prospects, the more attractive banks and banking clubs become.

— Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
While Turkey and Pakistan, on the borders of the Middle East, have avoided significant direct attacks, both are anxious to calm conflicts that threaten their own security and economic health.

— Reuters, NBC news, 7 Aug. 2026