as in wiggly
making jerky or restless movements
after a while, the little girl got wriggly and had to be taken outside to the church vestibule
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Recent Examples of wriggly
Medieval Christians looked at the very same phenomenon and imagined it as a reflection of divine will, the transformation of a wriggly worm into a flying jewel an earthly reminder of the transfiguration of Jesus to Christ.
—
Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggly
Adjective
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At the edges of the channel, near the walls, Rout and Lim’s team saw rapid fluctuations of molecules — those were the wiggly nucleoporins.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
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The team then carefully lowers Caterpillar into the water, where the mother rushes to scoop her pup up as the two share a wiggly embrace.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
13 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Conductors often fetishize the opening bars of this opera, their squirmy alternation of silence and piquant dissonance.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
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Adding to the action is a colorful, squirmy worm that will get kids laughing and moving.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Even Jason notices the guests are fidgety.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
24 Feb. 2026
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The two go toe-to-toe in power and precision, but the Breville’s intuitive assembly is a massive improvement on the Cuisinart’s notoriously fidgety and fussy locking mechanisms.—
Noah Kaufman,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There are plenty of question marks about Law, but his twitchy athleticism is enchanting and should be on full display in Indianapolis.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2026
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Keith and Chantal Tkachuk were in the stands, where Keith had noticed his sons were looking twitchy just before puck drop.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
18 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The Frogs made enough big shots in the final minutes to prevent another upset.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Mar. 2026
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However, other kids of the same age range might be more upset by the violence and harsh realities of nature—especially the ruthless and brutal of hierarchy of nature during the dinosaur years.—
Alex Shoemaker,
Parents,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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His first attempt was aborted after a phone call with his worried mother, and the second and third attempts were derailed because the team officials suspected his intentions and dropped him from the squad.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
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Easy-to-install solar panels that plug into a regular outlet are getting attention just as Americans are worried about rising energy costs.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggly. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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