WIGGLING Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

wiggling

verb

present participle of wiggle

as in twitching

to make jerky or restless movements the baby wiggled in her sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 wiggling Upon closer examination, beats like the ones that Fleming’s team described turned out to reflect not quantum coherence, but a resonance between wiggling molecular bonds. — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026 Rodents can measure tight spaces, feel nearby walls, and map out their surroundings by quickly wiggling their whiskers. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 Some of this year’s winners and honorable mentions included tiny jellyfish larvae swimming inside water droplets, a colorful sea slug wiggling along and many different forms of cells exploring their microscopic worlds. — Adrianne Morales, Washington Post, 16 Sep. 2026 Cueto was known for hesitating while in his pitching motion, or wiggling on the mound. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026 Getting both aligned so the cover properly locked took some wiggling on my part. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026 Pull Gently Once the soil is broken up, use your hands to grab the carrots where the greens meet the root, and pull straight up while wiggling slightly. — Aviva Patz, Martha Stewart, 16 June 2026 The dancing and wiggling Mini Pi Plus robot from High Torque of China, for instance, still can’t help at an auto plant or do your dishes. — ABC News, 28 May 2026 Spencer took out his phone and played a recording of his daughter telling the wiggling story. — John Kenney, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiggling

Verb

This is not easy for Robin (Griffin), who, judging by his nervously twitching legs and tendency to info-dump on interlocutors, finds ordinary interactions very stressful.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of twitching

Verb

Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of fidgeting

Verb

The preview ends with a heart-swelling image of Osbourne smiling and squirming with joy in his throne.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
The kitten appears to be squirming in his alleged captor’s arms in surveillance footage of the incident, which Innab reviewed after Jabal’s disappearance.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of squirming

Verb

And like any great sitcom, Friends runs the gamut from numbing brain-rot to tear-jerking sentimentality.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
Even after a bailiff woke him up, Martin slumped over in his wheelchair, inside a courtroom bullpen, occasionally jerking and opening his eyes.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerking

Verb

For much of the 1990s and 2000s, Guatemala had been twisting its way toward democracy, but corruption networks and drug traffickers had insinuated themselves into the country’s institutions.

— Will Freeman, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026
But Mulderrig’s red Harley-Davidson Sportster slammed into the rear passenger side of Oates’ Cadillac, crumpling the back corner and twisting the wheel out of shape.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of twisting

Verb

The original Rowdy Rooster, a slim storefront on a scrappy East Village block, closed earlier this year, menu fiddling notwithstanding.

— Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 July 2026
The Fed's influence on credit and the economy is minimal; credit is produced by real-world productivity, not central bank fiddling.

— John Tamny, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026

Definition of fiddling

Browse Nearby Words

wiggles

wiggling

wiggly

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“Wiggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiggling. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wiggling

verb

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