1
as in squirming
to make jerky or restless movements
a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in infiltrating
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
as in writhing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of wriggling
Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
According to Bed Bug Biology and Behavior, the bed bugs wriggling under hotel sheets the world over right now descend from cave-dwelling insects that originally drank bat blood.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2025
Edible insects in the form of wriggling maggots or hairy caterpillars are both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a central African nation of nearly 120 million people.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Small wonder that although the statue is expressive of Jordan’s signature, physically sprawling move, one leg is as stiff as a pharaoh’s, his feet are weirdly flat, his jersey is pooched as if a possum were wriggling inside it.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
And, of course, finding anything wriggling around in your box of cereal or cornmeal is definitely upsetting.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
On an island in the middle of the Florida Everglades, Taylor Stanberry — mostly nocturnal in the summer catching Burmese pythons — uncovered a wriggling nest of 30 baby pythons.
—Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Elanga looked very decent against Atletico, wriggling down the right with blistering pace.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Noun
Anybody who has watched children fight knows that weeping will start only after the victim has given up struggling and wriggling and accepted defeat.
—Big Think, 23 Sep. 2025
According to Bed Bug Biology and Behavior, the bed bugs wriggling under hotel sheets the world over right now descend from cave-dwelling insects that originally drank bat blood.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Sep. 2025
Edible insects in the form of wriggling maggots or hairy caterpillars are both delicacy and staple in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a central African nation of nearly 120 million people.
—Emmet Livingstone, NPR, 20 Sep. 2025
Small wonder that although the statue is expressive of Jordan’s signature, physically sprawling move, one leg is as stiff as a pharaoh’s, his feet are weirdly flat, his jersey is pooched as if a possum were wriggling inside it.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
And, of course, finding anything wriggling around in your box of cereal or cornmeal is definitely upsetting.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
On an island in the middle of the Florida Everglades, Taylor Stanberry — mostly nocturnal in the summer catching Burmese pythons — uncovered a wriggling nest of 30 baby pythons.
—Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
Elanga looked very decent against Atletico, wriggling down the right with blistering pace.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggling
Verb
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Still, Sabbath sounded amazing, the band’s distinctive vibe of limitless cosmic encumbrance, of Man squirming under the thumb of Fate, God, madness—the essential heavy-metal vision—somehow magnified by the venerable wobbliness of its playing.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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With net in hand, the future microbial geochemist dredged up seaweed and mud squirming with snails, crab larvae and other small invertebrates.—
Laura Poppick,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Over three hours, small groups navigate a challenging underground world, scrambling over boulders, belly-crawling through narrow passages, and squeezing through tight spaces to discover hidden marble wonders.—
Heide Brandes,
AFAR Media,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Halloween is fast approaching, and Cincinnati is crawling with some fang-tastic events this weekend.—
Caroline Ritzie,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Continue reading … COZY CONNECTIONS – Mamdani hands big check to radical group boasting about infiltrating his campaign.—
,
FOXNews.com,
8 Oct. 2025
-
This cannot be accomplished without infiltrating and taking over the PLO, something Hamas has never managed to do.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Throughout the writhing and the screaming, Julia’s fortitude wears down a defiant Davina, whose history with Lovat feeds the moment.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
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Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.—
Olivia-Anne Cleary,
Time,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The shadow of a mad scientist is always creeping over his shoulder, tapping on it, reminding him to be clever.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
13 Oct. 2025
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After battling late summer heat, the Greater Cincinnati region is finally starting to cool down with fall temperatures slowly creeping in.—
Kaycee Sloan,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After noticing Atlas sometimes got upset when their dad dropped them off at school, Aveline began sneaking into his room each morning after Kay laid out his clothes.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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From running errands to sneaking in gym sessions, these walking shoes remained extremely supportive and comfortable throughout, especially for those with low arches and overpronation.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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For those deep in the Apple ecosystem who want headphones that just work without all the fiddling, the Beats Solo 4 make sense with a 25% discount.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 Oct. 2025
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Now scientists have found that, with a little fiddling, the feathers can be adjusted to turn flashes of light into laser beams.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wriggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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