as in shaking
marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements
trembling from the cold
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in twitching
a series of slight movements by a body back and forth or from side to side
at the first sign of the room's trembling, I ducked for cover, for I was certain that it was the start of the big quake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trembling
Cat Rainsford, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
There’s Walter’s serene cello and Marjorie’s pensive, slightly coy violin, sometimes playful or petulant or, still, a little vain and secretive — other times thin and trembling, lost in the haze of dementia.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Lost in the trembling of my own body, trembling like Bunny’s body.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Olsen plays Joan’s indecision with winsome fluster, at first breathy and trembling but eventually finding her resolve.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Still, the cluster exhibited a subtle trembling motion while it was held in place.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
Its strength ranges from mild, causing little more discomfort than a slight trembling, to severe, in which passengers or flight crew can be thrown around the cabin and risk injury if not wearing seatbelts.
—Cat Rainsford, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
There’s Walter’s serene cello and Marjorie’s pensive, slightly coy violin, sometimes playful or petulant or, still, a little vain and secretive — other times thin and trembling, lost in the haze of dementia.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Lost in the trembling of my own body, trembling like Bunny’s body.
—Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Olsen plays Joan’s indecision with winsome fluster, at first breathy and trembling but eventually finding her resolve.
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Still, the cluster exhibited a subtle trembling motion while it was held in place.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trembling
Noun
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Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
15 Mar. 2026
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Moderate shaking impacted 19,000 people near the temblor’s epicenter.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mesmerizing evolution reaches its peak when a quivering guitar solo jettisons into view.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
26 Feb. 2026
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Few things shake the confidence of a person like crawling to the top bunk of a quivering bed frame, your feet wrapping uncomfortably along the frail metal rungs of the ladder.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Noun
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The disease, which gets worse over time, starts with muscle twitching, slurred speech, or weakness in an arm or leg.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
20 Feb. 2026
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After 10 weeks without food, Muraisi is experiencing involuntary muscular twitching and severe chest pains, according to Prisoners for Palestine, with her doctors warning of possible cardiovascular collapse.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But Vanek also has people round their back into turtle pose, using humming breaths to connect with vibration-sensing creatures, and using the outstretched arms of some poses to greet new snake visitors.—
Deena Prichep,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
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In these materials, applying an electric field aligns small electric charges within the crystal structure, reducing the scattering of heat-carrying vibrations.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Their reserves rallied in the fourth quarter — aided by shaky shooting from Schierman (1-for-8), Hauser (4-for-11) and Pritchard (2-for-11) — forcing Celtics Mazzulla to reinsert Tatum, Brown and Queta to halt their charge.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
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After scoring just six points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field during a shaky first half, Powell appeared to find his rhythm down the stretch.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Other common side effects include nausea, flushing, headache, and abdominal cramping and uncontrollable shivering.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
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Symptoms are fatigue, confusion, disorientation, excessive shivering and loss of coordination.—
Amanda McCoy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Fellow clubgoers splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to stop the shuddering.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trembling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trembling. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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