as in wiggly
making jerky or restless movements
a squirmy baby
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Recent Examples of squirmy
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
Conductors often fetishize the opening bars of this opera, their squirmy alternation of silence and piquant dissonance.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026
Adding to the action is a colorful, squirmy worm that will get kids laughing and moving.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Hannah Jocelyn, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Conductors often fetishize the opening bars of this opera, their squirmy alternation of silence and piquant dissonance.
—Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 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
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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
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The team then carefully lowers Caterpillar into the water, where the mother rushes to scoop her pup up as the two share a wiggly embrace.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
13 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Even Jason notices the guests are fidgety.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2026
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The two go toe-to-toe in power and precision, but the Breville’s intuitive assembly is a massive improvement on the Cuisinart’s notoriously fidgety and fussy locking mechanisms.—
Noah Kaufman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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And Pattinson is certainly accomplished at moving from twitchy to twitchier, playing the whole thing as a compulsively rational dialogue with himself.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
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Just look at KuveNiemann’s crooked grin, frozen, faraway eyes and twitchy bearing.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Esther said that Kim was upset about McCormick's bizarre behavior.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The demonstrations have been primarily instigated by farmers, agricultural contractors and road haulage operators, who are upset with the government’s response to the spike in fuel prices since the onset of the Iran war.—
Michael Considine,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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Flock Safety has faced strong criticism, with many worried about the public's privacy and security moving forward.—
Heath Kalb,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
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Caroline never actually worried that Harry would cross a line with a patient.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Behind yet another standout performance from Elliot Cadeau, who was named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, the Wolverines weathered a UConn run in the first half that had the massive throng of maize-and-blue fans in Indianapolis feeling nervous.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
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King had been nervous about the casting process.—
Angelina Mazza,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Although Amodei, who was leading the company’s safety team, had helped to pitch the deal to Bill Gates, many people on the team were anxious about it, fearing that Microsoft would insert provisions that overrode OpenAI’s ethical commitments.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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On the handful of occasions in each game between them when Jokic catches at the elbow and his teammates clear out, an anxious hush invariably falls over a buzzing arena.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirmy. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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