as in wiggly
making jerky or restless movements
a squirmy baby
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Recent Examples of squirmy
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
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
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Teaching first grade has always involved dealing with wiggly and talkative kids.—
Stacker,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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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
Adjective
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Even Jason notices the guests are fidgety.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2026
-
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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Atlanta artist Truett Dietz’s twitchy, colorful, anxiety-laden drawings at Wolfgang Gallery are visions of our brains on internet.—
Felicia Feaster,
AJC.com,
13 June 2026
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But the potential for a face-plant remains, especially given the large percentage of shares that will be doled out to retail investors who are, by and large, big Musk fans but also tend to be twitchy.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
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Their 1-0 win over England on June 29, 1950, in Brazil is considered the biggest upset in World Cup history.—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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Golden State won in overtime, and Cleveland’s upset chances fizzled almost immediately.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Jose Luis Rodriguez and Yoel Barcenas were wriggly and dangerous.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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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
-
Many small business owners struggle to provide retirement plans, according to a Senate legislative analyst, and Americans are growing increasingly worried about their financial security in retirement.—
Madeline Luebkert,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
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But, garnering the support from those within the Big Ten and SEC footprint is clearly not an aspect of this process that both Cantwell and Cruz are worried about.—
Trey Wallace,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
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Fantasy managers were nervous about investing in Brown due to possible rotation but one per cent of them were rewarded with a goal, an assist and the scouting bonus.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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Hundreds of thousands of fans, sitting in bars throughout the city, watched televisions in nervous silence.—
Jenna Thompson
June 16,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Nayyar played the socially anxious Raj Koothrappali, particle astrophysicist and BFF to Leonard.—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
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By our nature, we journalists are anxious to report fresh news, including the outcomes of elections.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squirmy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squirmy. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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