tumbly
- adjective
- /ˈtʌmbli/
:
inestable
- The tumbly ladder made it difficult to reach the top shelf safely.
Examples
-
After the storm, the old fence became quite tumbly and leaned to one side.
-
Children laughed as their tumbly toy car rolled down the bumpy hill.
-
The tumbly child fell over again.
-
Why is the tumbly toy rolling away?
-
The tumbly road made it hard to keep the car steady.
-
Her tumbly attempt to balance on one foot made everyone laugh.
-
The confused puppy wandered around the tumbly pile of soft toys.
Synonyms
68
1.0
A surface or movement that is not smooth and has small raised parts
53
3.3
Not firm or safe and likely to fail
36
3.6
Unsteady and likely to move from side to side
16
3.3
Not firm or balanced and likely to fall
9
3.0
Something that moves in an unsteady way with sudden bumps
8
7.5
Unsteady and likely to fall over easily
1
8.4
Unsteady and shaky because of weakness or old age
1
4.9
Unsteady and likely to fall to one side
Unsteady and likely to fall or tip over
Shaky and likely to fall over when you touch it
Unsteady and moving because of weakness or old age
Likely to wobble or break, like a weak chair
Antonyms
How Unstable
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Tumbly comes from the simple verb tumble, meaning 'to fall' or 'to roll', with the ending -y that makes an adjective meaning 'likely to' or 'full of'. So something described as tumbly is likely to fall or roll and feels unsteady.