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
Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.
—Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
All the trembling, as Kimbangu touched the sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured the plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba in search of healing.
—Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
At first this change of scale vivifies the butterfly—its brief stillness, the angle of its wings, its trembling—while freezing everything else, including the novel’s action.
—Ben Lerner, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
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
-
Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Located on the street level of the Harbor Boulevard complex, the new shop gives dessert-loving denizens another place to pick up the quivering treat.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
26 May 2026
-
Johnston plays poor Bear as a quivering mess wracked with guilt that this monster — who used to be his friend — is the result of his own terrible decision-making.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Noun
-
Casting near banks and using a twitching technique can increase success during the hatch.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
-
During this phase, octopuses display visible twitching along with rapid changes in skin color and texture, per NPR.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The main threat is vibrations, but with the help of vibration expert Kerstin Kracht, those have been reduced by 96 percent, says the report, to the same level a sculpture experiences on a plinth in a museum as visitors walk by.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
4 June 2026
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According to Mayer’s account, sounds passed from the top of the machine through tubes that carried the vibrations up through the arms of the two figures and into their mouths, producing distinct male and female voices.—
Ron Cowen,
Scientific American,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The Bobcats’ shaky defense spotted USC two unearned runs.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
-
The agreement is expected to extend the current shaky ceasefire that has been in place since early April, though both sides have accused the other of breaching it with continued strikes.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Unlike shivering, which produces heat through rapid muscle contractions, thermogenic leak relies on the mitochondria in muscle cells to release heat instead of producing ATP for contractions.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
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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
Noun
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The director again shows his action smarts by creating a brief lull — albeit while leaning hard on one of the more sudsy passages of composer Fernando Velázquez’s generic score — before the next shuddering impact sends the number of casualties skyrocketing.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
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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 7 Jun. 2026.
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