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Glite Dictionary
waddler

waddler

1 7.0
A person or animal that walks with short steps from side to side
  • noun
  • /ˈwɑːdlər/
translation icon : pato
  • Look at that waddler trying to keep up with the other animals as they walk through the park.

Examples

  • Sam was so heavy, he waddled when he ran, but I never saw a waddler move so fast.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The waddler took slow, careful steps as he crossed the sand, his movements unsteady and amusing.

  • We're becoming older women, on the verge of being like those fat-ankled waddlers at the club, the ones Walt says keep disappearing into their shoes.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Pretty little waddlers with colored tails, purring and gurgling like water whistles.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • As the waddler approached the water's edge, he shifted from side to side, making everyone smile.

Synonyms

walker
vswaddler
33 1.0

A person who moves on foot for exercise or pleasure

focuses on a specific sideways gait rather than general foot movement
foot-wobbler
vswaddler
  • Informal
9.9

A person who walks unsteadily and often stumbles

shows a distinct side to side gait rather than random instability

Antonyms

runner
241 1.0

A person who runs for sport, exercise, or in races

How Clumsy

staggerer
8.2
stumbler
6.7
waddler
1 7.0
toddler
171 1.0
walker
33 1.0

Surface Forms

waddler singular
waddlers plural

Morphology

waddler = waddle (transparent) = waddle + er

Agentive noun clearly formed by adding the productive suffix '-er' to the verb 'waddle', so the meaning is directly predictable from the base.

Etymology

The word waddler comes from the verb waddle, which means 'to walk with short, rolling steps', plus the ending -er meaning 'one who'. Think of a duck or a penguin moving side to side; that's why a waddler is a person or animal that walks with a waddling gait.