WRIGGLED Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

wriggled

verb

past tense of wriggle

as in squirmed

to make jerky or restless movements a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crawled

to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in infiltrated

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 wriggled Countless individual tread blocks, divided by wide grooves, wriggled around instead of digging in. — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Venezuelan fans — who made the long trip to loanDepot Park for the 2026 World Baseball Classic — wriggled with every pitch. — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026 Play was recycled and Harrison Armstrong ended up firing a good chance too close to goalkeeper Senne Lammens after Iliman Ndiaye had wriggled free down the right. — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026 Emma wriggled obediently out of the offending articles. — Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026 In the soil in his palm, an earthworm wriggled. — Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 26 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggled

Verb

Belloumi’s 64th-minute strike with his left foot broke the deadlock in the second game of the two-leg affair and Gelhardt made sure with a low shot that squirmed past the Millwall goalkeeper.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 May 2026
His Japanese guest, usually a paragon of diplomatic cool, visibly squirmed.

— Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of squirmed

Verb

Figures depicting the Pink Panther, Spider Man and the Minions have perched or crawled atop the Dome.

— Mandalit del Barco, NPR, 31 July 2026
One of Thursday’s stations included the ‘Confidence Course,’ where campers crawled through tight spaces and wooden obstacles in their heavy gear.

— Julianna Mejia July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026

Definition of crawled

Verb

If 2025 was the year AI infiltrated every corner of consumer life — from social feeds to shopping — 2026 is the year people are pausing for thought.

— Amy O’Brien, Vogue, 14 July 2026
But in this case, Kamdang said, Patriot Front members faced no criminal charges and their identities were only revealed when online activists later infiltrated the group and leaked internal records.

— Odette Yousef, NPR, 11 July 2026

Definition of infiltrated

Verb

Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.

— Phil Hay, New York Times, 21 May 2026
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 May 2026

Definition of twitched

Verb

More three-safety personnel packages have crept onto the field lately, which have given veteran safety and free-agent addition Mike Brown some nickelback duties that usually fall to Marcus Jones.

— Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 30 July 2026
As flames crept closer to Bordeaux, neighboring Spain also oversaw its own fire evacuations.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 26 July 2026

Definition of crept

Verb

John Sugar has snuck into Ray Vega’s home and stands behind his adversary with a gun aimed at his head.

— Andy Andersen, Vulture, 24 July 2026
Martin Ramirez, 49, who manages a nearby body shop, said a rat sneaked into his shop just days after the fire was knocked down.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of sneaked

Verb

One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.

— David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.

— Rebecca Jennings, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Definition of fidgeted

Verb

But with Bogaerts already retired, shortstop Willy Adames had to track down Campusano — who had slid early in the base path to remove himself from the play — to record the final out of the inning.

— Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
For the main course, the lamb kabab slid straight off the skewer, charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.

— Connie Ogle July 31, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Definition of slid

Browse Nearby Words

wriggle

wriggled

wriggles

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wriggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggled. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wriggled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on wriggled

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

highfalutin

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes