QUAKING Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

quaking 1 of 3

adjective

as in shaking

marked by or given to small uncontrollable bodily movements found the quaking stray dog wandering outside in the rain

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

quaking

2 of 3

noun

as in trembling

Related Words

quaking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of quake

as in shuddering

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the horror film was so scary it left us quaking with fear for hours afterwards

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of quaking

Verb

Ball built a guitar with an aluminum neck and began placing his headstock on top of his amp, so that the quaking cabinet shook the strings by itself. — Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026 Meanwhile, Springfield Democrats shouldn’t be quaking in their shoes at this temper tantrum from their cronies in organized labor. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026 Ephemera directs the brain to the tiniest concrete nubs of consciousness, calming the quaking mind and bringing us back to ourselves. — Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 Alex arrives to find Lucy literally quaking in fear, especially when Stephen summons the two of them to come meet his latest prey, whose name is Tegan. — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026 For those communities quaking in terror, simply waiting three years for a new president is not sufficient. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026 The jiggly, quaking contraption is eye-catching—a natural social media star. — Julia Sullivan, Outside, 23 Dec. 2025 The majority of the action, however, unfolds in a claustrophobic one-shot inside a tent, with our heroes quaking at the whoops and cries surrounding them. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for quaking

Noun

Betelgeuse and the Pleiades hung—one billowing, one trembling—out of sight somewhere past the window frame.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
When the trembling decreased, the 27-year-old mother took the stairs seven stories down with her young child in her arms and evacuated the building.

— Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of trembling

Verb

That afternoon, the president, inside the exposition’s ornate Temple of Music, greeted members of the public, shaking hands and warmly inviting them to explore the fair.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
The handcuffs were taken off, and he was allowed to board, shaking with shock.

— Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaking

Noun

The horror has come now like a storm— what if this night prefigured the night after death— what if all thereafter was an eternal quivering on the edge of an abyss, with everything base and vicious in oneself urging one forward and the baseness and viciousness of the world just ahead.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
The old dog slowed to a stop, nose full of bird stink, feathery tail quivering.

— Joel M. Vance, Outdoor Life, 29 Oct. 2025

Definition of quivering

Verb

There’s the studio version, which has some really interesting production, with Meg’s shuddering percussion that eventually grates and distracts, and Jack’s very chunky guitar.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
These seemingly innocuous incidents attain new significance as they’re revisited alongside a slow crescendo that suddenly turns to shuddering piano chords on the track’s bridge.

— Nick Ayres DeMasi, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026

Definition of shuddering

Noun

Like the pair above, the shoes boast plush insoles and pillowy cushioning, along with a structure specifically designed for smooth heel-to-toe rocking.

— Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 20 Aug. 2026
Many structures in the area where the earthquake struck this week were built to withstand the seismic rocking that destroyed entire neighborhoods in 1999.

— Luis Giraldo, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of rocking

Noun

Some patients taking GLP-1s describe sudden shivering fits, an inability to warm up or the reverse — abrupt flushing and heat.

— Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
The colossal balete next to the chapel and barangay hall appeared to lean closer to the site of the capture, the shivering of leaves and roots and branches registering in the air as vague applause.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of shivering

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“Quaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quaking. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of quaking

adjective

noun

verb

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