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Glite Dictionary
😨 To shake suddenly 😨 A sudden shake
to shudder

to shudder

85 3.7
To shake suddenly because you feel cold, afraid, or very upset
  • verb
  • /ˈʃʌdər/
translation icon : estremecerse
  • The horror movie was so terrifying that I shuddered in my seat.
  • shudder to think
  • make people shudder
  • women shudder

The cool European air hit my body as I shuddered even under my large back.

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Examples

  • I will not tell you of the terrible things I saw that day, but I still shudder when I remember how those men died.

  • If anyone ever hurt my Maria, I shudder to think what I would do to him.

    Dangerous Curves (1988)

  • If he had not been there, I really shudder to think what that could have led to.

    Rich Roll

  • I shudder to think what they did to him in the name of science.

    My Favorite Martian (1999)

  • This place makes me shudder.

    Jefferson in Paris (1995)

  • Smoke immediately began to pour from the dashboard, and the truck shuddered to a halt.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Her eyes were closed, her lips open, and he could feel the deep, shuddering breaths that lifted her shoulders.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Gentlemen, as I speak to you now, London once again shudders beneath a Nazi onslaught from the skies.

    The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

  • I shudder to recall how once long ago I embraced the same beliefs... how at one time I was, in fact... no different from these intolerant Chinese.

    Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

  • A moment later, Dave, Mike, and Andre suddenly disappeared, and my body shuddered as if I had been clotheslined.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

to tremble
vsto shudder
164 2.5

To shake slightly without control because of fear, cold, or worry

is sudden and stronger rather than a mild, slow shaking
to shiver
vsto shudder
115 1.2

To shake slightly because of cold, fear or excitement

is sudden and stronger rather than a slight, mild shake
to shake like a leaf
vsto shudder
  • Informal
3 4.6

To tremble a lot because you are afraid, nervous, or cold

is sudden and shorter rather than a long strong trembling

Antonyms

to stabilize
  • US
75 4.3

To become steady and stop changing

How Strong

to convulse
8 7.8
to shudder
85 3.7
to shiver
115 1.2
to tremble
164 2.5
to quiver
47 4.5

Surface Forms

shudder infinitive
shuddered past
shuddered past participle
shuddering present participle
shudders third person singular

Etymology

To shudder comes from an old German word that meant 'to shake' and is like the German word schaudern, so think of the simple word 'shake' or 'shiver'. That's why to shudder is to shake suddenly and you cannot control it, usually because of fear, cold, or a strong feeling.