wobbling

5.4

A sound like a voice or siren that goes up and down and sounds unsteady

adjective
/ˈwɑːblɪŋ/

: tembloroso

The speaker's voice was wobbling as she tried to hold back tears.

Examples

There was a wobbling sound coming from the microphone during the performance.
He noticed the wobbling tone in her laughter, hinting at her nervousness.
Why does it stay up and what is this wobbling now?
And the reason is not due to the distance, just because the Earth is wobbling a little bit right?
OK, So we're talking right now about, you know, China's wobbling, the stock market's crashing.
So the flexible cord is constantly wobbling just where it meets the handset.
It is yellow Saturn wobbling in its orbit.
The knees of the global economy are wobbling, buckling, and society is in the throes of chaos.
Wine came to Tabernii in delivery carts, wobbling with wineskins.

Synonyms

wobbly

vswobbling

36 3.6

Unsteady and likely to move from side to side

refers to unstable sound changes rather than physical side to side movement

quavery

vswobbling

1 8.0

A shaky sound in someone's voice that shows nervousness or emotion

applies to any sound instability, not only voice trembling

warbly

vswobbling

8.0

A shaky sound that moves up and down in pitch

is an unstable fluctuation in pitch, volume, or tone

wavery

vswobbling

6.5

Moving or looking unsteady and slightly shaking

refers specifically to unstable changes in pitch, volume, or tone

jittering

vswobbling

6.0

Small quick movements of a person or thing often from being nervous

describes unstable sonic fluctuations rather than tiny mechanical movements

oscillating

vswobbling

Specialized

6.2

Moving back and forth in a regular way

means rhythmic or regular vibration, not necessarily unsteady fluctuation

to shaking

vswobbling

1.0

To move quickly back and forth or up and down, making things tremble

focuses on pitch or volume instability, not bodily movement

Antonyms

stability

363 3.1

Being steady and not likely to change

consistency

77 3.2

The state of things or actions being the same and in agreement

How Wobbly

distorted

4.4

trembling

1 2.7

wobbling

5.4

wavering

3 5.5

steady

304 2.0

Surface Forms

wobbling positive

Morphology

wobbling = wobble (transparent) = wobble + ing

Formed from the verb 'wobble' with the gerund/participle suffix '-ing'; the adjectival meaning 'fluctuating unsteadily' is a direct extension of 'wobble'.

Etymology

The word wobbling comes from the verb wobble, which is an old word that copies a shaky, 'back-and-forth' sound or movement. A helpful way to remember it is to think of wobbling like a shaky 'bob' that moves 'unsteadily', so a wobbling sound changes in pitch or tone.