TREMBLING Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

trembling 1 of 3

adjective

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

trembling

2 of 3

noun

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

trembling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of tremble

as in quivering

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of trembling

Noun

Across campus, students raised trembling voices, burst into applause, and brushed away tears. — Jeannine Chiang, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026 Betelgeuse and the Pleiades hung—one billowing, one trembling—out of sight somewhere past the window frame. — Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 When the trembling decreased, the 27-year-old mother took the stairs seven stories down with her young child in her arms and evacuated the building. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026 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 Olsen plays Joan’s indecision with winsome fluster, at first breathy and trembling but eventually finding her resolve. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for trembling

Adjective

Despite the Cougars’ shaky start, with all that Pac-12 prestige, exposure and, importantly, financial income under both teams’ belts, does either have an inherent advantage over the conference’s newcomers?

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 22 Oct. 2026
The Glee reboot should pepper the series with some fun cameos from beloved characters, many of whom got cast in the later shakier seasons, as well as some of the most fun guest stars.

— Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of shaky

Noun

Despite the widespread shaking, the most extensive structural damage was reported in communities closer to the epicenter.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
With its silly oversized thumbs and frantic shaking needed to escape pins, this mini-game is one example of how a game like Nintendo Switch Sports Resort could make some older gamers feel self-conscious.

— Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of shaking

Verb

And as Ternus thumbs through the $1,999-and-up phone, attempting to drag a photo into a text-message box, eagle-eyed viewers notice his hands quivering.

— Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
As Jay tries to avoid getting crushed by the whale’s stomach in one quivering chamber or dissolved by acid in the next, Abrams comes up with reactions that feel as plausible as possible in a situation that’s totally unimaginable.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of quivering

Adjective

Standing 10 yards in front of us on a corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue was a shivering elderly woman who looked lost.

— Richard Greenberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
What she’s produced is a searching, pointedly disorienting text, studded with passages of extreme beauty and generous humor, that wears whimsy like a shivering veil over consuming discomfort, even terror.

— Paul McAdory, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025

Definition of shivering

Noun

Using a quantum memory made of crystal vibrations, ETH Zürich researchers ran quantum algorithms with a single superconducting qubit.

— Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
The Skullcandy app gives you access to a five-band graphic equalizer, control customization, and the level of vibration the haptic drivers deliver.

— K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vibration

Noun

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
Fellow clubgoers splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to stop the shuddering.

— Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025

Definition of shuddering

Browse Nearby Words

trembles

trembling

trembly

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“Trembling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trembling. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of trembling

adjective

noun

verb

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