🤲 A slight shake 😰 Shaking slightly

trembling

1 2.6

Shaking slightly because you feel afraid, cold, or weak

adjective
/ˈtrɛmblɪŋ/

: tembloroso

The child was trembling with fear during the thunderstorm.

Here I am stuck in a staring contest with the void, while over there my kids lower lip is twisted, trembling with potential energy.

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Examples

He stood there, trembling from the cold, as he waited for the bus.
After hearing the terrifying news, she felt her hands trembling uncontrollably.
And so, trembling with anticipation, we approach the door.
It was covered with sweat and trembling with fear, but there was no sign of Jim.
Matt pulled the now trembling David closer to him and kept his arms wrapped around his waist, nuzzling his neck, hoping to make him lose his fear.
He reads it and he's trembling as he's reading it.
And Stadiartist came up a few minutes later, trembling in fear, and said that he'd seen a heap of dead naked people underwater.
She's She staggered backwards, gasping and trembling, and collided with Josh's father, who still sat facing away from the hole.
And then in the class you'd read it and you'd be trembling and you'd be, you'd you'd feel like you're in danger.
Shame bled from his every pore, skittered across his trembling limbs and somehow ignited an even deeper ardor.

Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

Synonyms

shaky

vstrembling

59 2.1

Not steady and trembling, often from fear, cold, or tiredness

describes uncontrollable slight shaking without implying instability

shivering

vstrembling

3 2.2

Trembling a little because of cold, fear, or excitement

is the broader term for similar slight uncontrolled shaking

fluttery

vstrembling

2 4.9

Feeling nervous and excited with a quick, shaky feeling in the body

marks a more general, uncontrolled slight shaking from many causes

aquiver

vstrembling

1 9.9

Shaking slightly, often because of excitement or strong feeling

is steadier on cause, including fear, cold, anxiety, or weakness

trembly

vstrembling

1 4.4

Shaking slightly in the hands and voice because of fear or weakness

is more general, covering shaking from fear, cold, anxiety, or weakness

quivery

vstrembling

1 5.0

Shaking slightly because of strong feelings or weakness

focuses on small uncontrolled movement from fear, cold, or anxiety

shivery

vstrembling

1 6.0

Making you feel afraid or nervous

describes the actual slight uncontrolled bodily shaking itself

atremble

vstrembling

Archaic

9.8

Shaking because you feel afraid, excited, or cold

covers the same uncontrolled shaking but is more common in everyday use

quavering

vstrembling

7.2

A voice that trembles because of weakness, fear, or strong feeling

describes bodily shaking rather than specifically a voice effect

quavery

vstrembling

7.7

Shaky in the voice, often showing nervousness or strong feeling

refers to general body shaking in many situations, not just voice

How Shaky

shuddering

2 5.1

to shaking

1.0

trembling

1 2.6

quivery

1 5.0

Surface Forms

trembling positive

Morphology

trembling = tremble (transparent) = tremble + ing

The adjectival sense is a participial adjective derived from 'tremble' + '-ing', meaning 'shaking', which is directly predictable.

Etymology

The word trembling comes from the same root trem- meaning 'to shake', like in tremor. So when someone has a trembling voice or hands, they are shaking slightly because of fear, cold, or nerves.