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,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The team also found that certain near-surface features, such as softer rock layers above where the stopping phase happens, can further enhance it, leading to more severe shaking of the ground at the surface.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The child had jumped at the sting, her bottom lip quivering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The mesmerizing evolution reaches its peak when a quivering guitar solo jettisons into view.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
That week’s host, Emily Blunt, did the trembly voice-over.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
21 Dec. 2020
Noun
-
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
-
Gosnell did not testify at his 2013 trial, but his defense attorney argued that none of the fetuses were born alive and that any movements were posthumous twitching or spasms, according to the AP.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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It can be paired with a 1,925-watt Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system with 36 speakers that can send bass vibrations through the seats (an 18-speaker/575-watt Bowers & Wilkins system is standard).—
Stephen Edelstein,
ArsTechnica,
23 Apr. 2026
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Makris and his team theorized that rain sounds underwater might produce large enough vibrations to jostle the statoliths and possibly spur germination in rice seeds.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Caitlin Clark had a shaky return to WNBA action on Saturday after her season-ending injury last year.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Two weeks into the shaky, uncertain ceasefire, a form of normality has returned to the streets of Tehran.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Apr. 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
-
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 27 Apr. 2026.
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