Synonyms of teetering

teetering 1 of 2

adjective

as in tottering

Related Words

• tottering
• rickety
• precarious
• doddering
• tottery
• infirm
• jiggling
• insecure
• doddery
• lopsided
• wobbly
• jiggly
• staggery
• awry
• uneven
• rocky
• shaky
• tippy
• unsound
• askew
• tipsy
• cockeyed
• wonky
• unstable
• off-kilter
• unbalanced
• wavery
• unsteady

Dissimilar Words

• stable
• steady
• balanced
• stabilized
• level
• straight
• even
• substantial
• equilibrated
• sound
• sturdy

teetering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of teeter

1

as in faltering

to swing unsteadily back and forth or from side to side

he nervously teetered at the edge of the pool before finally diving in

Synonyms & Similar Words

• faltering
• trembling
• wobbling
• shaking
• tottering
• rocking
• wavering
• shuddering
• lurching
• vibrating
• quivering
• floundering
• stumbling
• quaking
• reeling
• toddling
• staggering
• quavering
• careening
• weaving

2

as in staggering

to move forward while swaying from side to side

the toddler teetered down the rink in her new ice skates

Synonyms & Similar Words

• staggering
• lurching
• tottering
• weaving
• reeling
• rolling
• shuffling
• careening
• waddling
• stumbling
• stomping
• rocking
• swaying
• doddering
• wavering
• wobbling
• floundering
• seesawing
• barging
• shambling
• pounding
• stamping
• blundering
• swagging
• clumping
• scuffling
• scuffing
• lumping
• lumbering
• tramping
• clomping
• galumphing
• tromping

3

as in hesitating

to show uncertainty about the right course of action

was teetering on the brink of making a decision about college

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hesitating
• faltering
• wavering
• vacillating
• balancing
• staggering
• wobbling
• waiting
• debating
• halting
• dithering
• hanging back
• swaying
• pausing
• lingering
• scrupling
• pondering
• weighing
• delaying
• shilly-shallying
• procrastinating
• hemming
• hawing
• deliberating
• dawdling
• oscillating
• backing down
• waffling
• considering
• hedging
• dallying
• equivocating
• pussyfooting
• chickening (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deciding
• plunging (in)
• diving (in)
• continuing
• stirring
• advancing
• budging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of teetering

Adjective

Vera handed over 10 boxes, one by one, until her arms were full and teetering. — Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026

Verb

But there’s also an untidiness to it, teetering on the edge of its seams, threatening to unravel but always miraculously staying in place. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

But the sum succeeds, teetering deliciously between sweet and savory. — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

This was high praise at a time when America was recovering from the Depression while teetering on the brink of World War II. — Gaby Iori october 7, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

The Giants are tied for the best record in the NFC East with the teetering Philadelphia Eagles (2-1). — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026

All of these statements have left Carlson teetering at the edge of respectability within the Republican Party. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026

In his view, a prosperous society was teetering on the edge of a meaningful shift toward communitarianism before being yanked back. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026

The Sky spent the last week teetering on the edge, racking up a few last-gasp wins to hold off the looming inevitability of their own elimination. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

This entire situation is teetering on a knife’s edge right now. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026