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wriggly

wriggly

1 4.3
Moving with small twisting movements like a worm
  • adjective
  • /ˈrɪɡli/
translation icon : ondulante
  • As I watched the fish in the tank, I noticed one particularly wriggly one darting around.
  • a wriggly little worm

You know, big gums, A wriggly big gums.

Examples

  • Otis remembered himself, the boy, drowsing on the seat beside his father, his head on his father's thigh, half asleep, trying to make his wriggly body comfortable on the car seat, kicking again and again at the dashboard and at the tall, green-knobbed floor shift of the Nash.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The wriggly worm squirmed under the soil, searching for food.

  • And what about this wriggly thing?

    Fiction book (1998)
  • It's making awful wriggly shadows all across the glass.

  • Then you come along, this wriggly, little thing I couldn't even recognize.

  • We won't be just a wriggly little worm on the map with a canal, will we?

  • OK, so Zoe is a long, wriggly route talker.

  • Her bodysuit tugged and contracted, mimicking a wriggly weight in her arms.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Carefully comb Kitty, which snags the fleas; use your thumb to contain the wriggly flea in the comb.

    Blog text (7)
  • The baby was so wriggly during the diaper change that it was hard for her mother to keep still.

Synonyms

twisty
vswriggly
11 4.7

A road or story with many bends and sudden changes

focuses on the active squirming or turning motion rather than static bends
wiggly
vswriggly
8 3.5

A shape or movement with many small bends like a worm

focuses on the same motion but is used more informally
squiggly
vswriggly
8 3.9

Wavy and twisting like a loose line

emphasizes actual twisting movement rather than just a curving look
serpentine
vswriggly
4 7.6

Winding and twisting like a snake

is similar but may sound more formal or technical in use
squirmy
vswriggly
1 3.5

Moving in a restless, wiggly way

describes the motion itself rather than the feeling behind it
wormlike
vswriggly
1 3.6

Having a long thin body that moves like a worm

focuses on general twisting motion not only appearance of shape
serpiginous
vswriggly
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Having a long, winding shape like a snake

covers the same winding idea but is more common in everyday speech
wriggling
vswriggly
3.4

Moving with small twisting and squirming movements like a worm

is the adjective form referring to that same twisting movement
writhing
vswriggly
6.0

Moving by twisting and turning like a snake

expresses the same movement but usually less violent or strained
snakey
vswriggly
7.2

Moving with many curves like a snake or acting in a sneaky way

describes the same winding motion without implying secretive intent

Antonyms

1.0

Not moving or making a sound

How Wriggly

restless
110 3.0
squirm
4 4.1
wriggly
1 4.3
wiggly
8 3.5
to still
12 4.2

Surface Forms

wriggly positive
wrigglier comparative
wriggliest superlative

Morphology

wriggly = wriggle (transparent) = wriggle + y

The adjective is a regular formation from 'wriggle' + '-y', so learners who know 'wriggle' can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Wriggly comes from an old English verb wriggle, from an original word that meant 'to twist' or 'turn'. Think of wiggle — a wriggly animal makes that twisty, squirming movement, so we use the word for worms, fish, or playful puppies.