undulating 1 of 2

adjective

as in undulant
rising and falling in a wavelike pattern The undulating terrain was difficult to traverse on foot.

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undulating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of undulate
as in fluctuating
formal to move or be shaped like waves undulating hills an undulating surface

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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 undulating
Verb
Imagine a 350-foot-tall orb that can be transformed into virtually anything, from a harvest moon rising over the Strip to a giant snow globe to a tank of undulating jellyfish. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026 Gardener Tomoki Kato crafted a multilayered landscape featuring undulating mounds, red pine trees, a weeping cherry tree, and a pond. — Joanna Kawecki, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026 An undulating white ceiling appears to float above bookshelves, reading areas and living trees. — David Nikel, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 The undulating synth lead seems tailored to mimic the tone and timbre of a classical Indian singer, a comparison borne out by the occasional flashes of vocal sample peeking through the mix. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026 With dramatic elevation changes, undulating greens, and ocean breezes, many holes present an enjoyable challenge along with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 18 July 2026 In terms of beauty, Zendaya has swapped out her bixie—for now—and worn her XXL hair in undulating waves and twisted crown-like braids. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 15 July 2026 These waves can cause undulating cloud patterns, as well as turbulence. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 15 July 2026 During the Knicks’ victory parade, the undulating downtown crowd looked, from afar, not unlike a school of tropical clown fish. — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for undulating
  1. undulant
  2. fluctuating
  3. wavy
  4. oscillating
  5. rolling
  6. fluttering
  7. uneven
  8. waving
Adjective
  • Our drills included hours of seamlessly merging poetry with three chords, providing me with an undulant field to riff on.
    — Patti Smith, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2025
  • As the undulant hills beyond the valley turned blue in front of me, a cat sauntered onto the veranda and wound its tail around my ankles.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Definition of undulant
Verb
  • The recent confluence of record visitor volume, fluctuating boundaries, climate anomalies and staffing shortages is fundamentally increasing the risks of owning, acquiring or starting a business in a gateway economy.
    — Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The Forest Service notes that waterfall conditions constantly change because of erosion, shifting debris and fluctuating water flows, making even familiar locations potentially hazardous.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of fluctuating
Adjective
  • As black is used for the majority of the shoe’s surface — including the midsole, netting and leather toe tip — the vibrant and fuzzy material is applied to the tongue and the top two of the series of wavy stripes.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Hathaway topped off her heavenly look with an effortlessly wavy up-do and an ethereal blush-nude makeup look.
    — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of wavy
Verb
  • According to Léna, the experiments included studying the dust in the corona (which was emitting infrared radiation), studying the oscillating hot gas in the corona, and studying the chromosphere.
    — Dhananjay Khadilkar, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The more constructive comparison is early 2023, when ADBE spent several weeks oscillating around the line before reclaiming it and beginning a strong advance.
    — Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of oscillating
Adjective
  • Return the dough to the work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a 12-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Jesse Lazarus, the MTA’s rolling-stock czar, told the agency’s board in June that 131 of those buses had been delivered to date, in the form of new long-distance coach buses operating out of the Staten Island depots.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of rolling
Verb
  • For Arbaeen, the lights inside the shrine and the flags fluttering from its golden dome are switched to red – the color of vengeance.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Some people feel a racing heartbeat or fluttering in their chest.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fluttering
Adjective
  • Engineers maintained extremely gentle gradients across long distances while using tunnels, channels, and arched bridges to cross uneven terrain.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Both players have been uneven throughout training camp, but Klubnik is the frontrunner to win the job and was the better player against the Buccaneers.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of uneven
Verb
  • Columbia is not just an enclave but a neighborhood within a neighborhood, a 36-acre concentration of urban activity — activity that has always included regular doses of protest, speechifying, electioneering, and petition waving.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Behind the scenes, White House officials have spent months waving Kennedy off his vaccine agenda amid a historic wave of measles infections.
    — Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of waving

Browse Nearby Words

undulates
undulating
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Cite this Entry

“Undulating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/undulating. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of undulating for Spanish Speakers

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