1
as in squirmed
to make jerky or restless movements
a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
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
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Recent Examples of wriggled
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
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
-
Substitute Nikolas Nartey completed the scoring in stoppage time with another deflected shot that squirmed in off the far post.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Carl squirmed away from some of his earlier remarks minimizing the Holocaust but stood by his views on anti-white persecution and the Great Replacement.—
Andreas Kluth,
Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The animal had crawled into a drain pipe during a cold snap and could not turn around to escape.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
-
As seen on video from the scene, traffic crawled along the expressway as smoke billowed from the cars and firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Months of covert planning led to the brazen operation that plunged the South American country’s capital into darkness as troops infiltrated Maduro’s home and whisked him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.—
Konstantin Toropin,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Recent high-profile reports claiming micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) have infiltrated the human brain, arteries, and testes are facing a major scientific backlash.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But as application deadlines loomed, doubt crept in.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
This book by Jessamine Chan crept its way into my marrow and refused to get out.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
So, Carolyn and RoseMarie Terenzio, John’s assistant, snuck into the office late one night to print up the programs.—
Kate Storey,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Less than five seconds into the game, Bruins left wing Marat Khusnutdinov sneaked behind an unprepared Kris Letang and found himself with a point-blank look against Stuart Skinner.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
With just over a minute to play in the period, Shaugabay slid a perfect pass from the right-side corner across the crease where Andersen tapped it home to hand Warroad its first multi-goal advantage.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The mouthpiece landed in front of a fan sitting courtside and slid toward the foot of Mavericks assistant coach Jay Triano.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggled. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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