Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🤲 A slight shake 😰 Shaking slightly
trembling

trembling

1 2.7
A small, quick shaking of the body when you feel afraid or cold
  • noun
  • /ˈtrɛmblɪŋ/
: temblor
  • I could see the trembling in her hands as she prepared to give her speech.

And Whitman tells us about watching the fugitive slaves eyes roll with with fear and trembling.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The Lord is with you!" Trembling, she sat still and silent, wondering at his words.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Trembling started in my shoulders and spread.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I'm sitting in the crowd of life trembling, thinking I don't have what it takes.

  • Trembling, loss of memory, disorientation...

    Ofrandā (2023)

  • "These are dinosaur tracks?" Trembling, Judar closed his eyes.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Knowledge is embodied, and the body is trembling, terrified, because it's unprepared.

  • Trembling, Jane rose and walked across the sterile floor to clone capsule 845637Y.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Trembling, Hawthorne rested the butt of the Springfield rifle on the floor and motioned for the cartridge and cap box to be brought over.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Her voice was barely audible due to the trembling that overtook her as she faced the crowd.

  • The cold wind caused a trembling that shook his entire body as he waited for the bus.

Synonyms

shake
vstrembling
55 1.8

A small quick movement of the body or one of its parts

is the narrower use highlighting very slight rapid movement from common causes
shaking
vstrembling
52 1.8

A quick repeated movement back and forth or up and down that makes things tremble

is more specific, focusing on small rapid motions often from emotion or cold
shiver
vstrembling
50 1.4

A sudden small shake of the body from cold, fear or excitement

is the general small rapid movement not limited to bodily reaction
tremor
vstrembling
37 5.3

A shaking movement of the body or voice you cannot control

is similar but emphasizes rapid slight motion from many normal causes
tremble
vstrembling
23 2.7

A small shaking that you feel when you are very afraid or cold

is broader, covering quick slight movements from various causes
quivering
vstrembling
7 4.4

A slight, fast shaking that you can see or feel

is a quick slight movement often caused by fear or cold
quiver
vstrembling
6 3.9

A small shaking movement in the voice often caused by fear or excitement

is a general quick small movement not tied only to emotion
shivering
vstrembling
3 2.2

Trembling a little because of cold, fear, or excitement

is the short rapid motion idea used in many situations
shakiness
vstrembling
1 4.1

An unsteady trembling of the body or voice when you cannot keep them still

is the actual quick small movement rather than the ongoing unsteady feeling
tremulousness
vstrembling
8.8

A feeling of nervousness that makes your hands or voice shake

is the physical rapid slight motion itself rather than the nervous quality
palpitation
vstrembling
7.4

A quick, small shaking movement you can see or feel

is the irregular quick small movement rather than a rhythmic beating

Antonyms

calm
52 1.0

A quiet, peaceful feeling that helps you stay steady

How Shaky

convulsion
  • Specialized
20 7.3
tremor
37 5.3
trembling
1 2.7
to quiver
47 4.5

Surface Forms

trembling singular
tremblings plural

Morphology

trembling = tremble (transparent) = tremble + ing

The noun is a regular nominalization/gerund of the verb 'tremble' formed with '-ing', so the meaning 'a shaking movement' is directly predictable from the base.

Etymology

The word trembling comes from the root trem- which means 'to shake' and is also in the word tremor. So a trembling is a quick, small shaking movement, often caused by fear, cold, or weakness.