SHAMBLING Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

shambling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of shambling

as in lumbering

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Dissimilar Words

shambling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of shamble

as in shuffling

to move heavily or clumsily disconsolate and exhausted after losing the match, the wrestler shambled toward the locker room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 shambling

Adjective

One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’). — Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026 These movies—including the seven-hour-long Sátántangó, a centerpiece of which is a shambling dance in a barroom—often swap the meandering sentence for a single camera shot that lasts 10 minutes or more. — Walt Hunter, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2025

Verb

Bieber could be seen shambling inside, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrived by helicopter. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 24 July 2026 Julian’s shambling charm wears her down, the elder statesman challenging his younger peer’s view on their industry. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for shambling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shambling

Adjective

The Cubs players continued to taunt Ruth at every opportunity, and a big one came their way in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jurges slashed a sinking liner into right field and the lumbering, top-heavy Babe muffed a shoestring catch.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 June 2026

Definition of lumbering

Verb

Summary The Chicago Cubs are currently shuffling their infield due to Dansby Swanson's oblique injury, moving Nico Hoerner to shortstop and Pedro Ramírez to second base.

— Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Keeping your eye on Bredeson is as hard as tracking a ball beneath shuffling cups.

— Alec Lewis, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of shuffling

Adjective

By the spring of 2023, Billy Ray Corbin had lost more than 15 percent of his body weight and was woozy and wobbly on his feet.

— Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Then came a series defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with two home run balls against Kenley Jansen in the ninth of the series finale serving as another microcosm of Detroit’s wobbly season.

— Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of wobbly

Verb

The teddy bears, the stumbling answers, the whole morning in the Cotillion was a mess.

— Noah Shachtman, Vanity Fair, 25 Aug. 2026
Calhoun, who moved to Kansas City from Ames, Iowa, in 2016, started photography during the pandemic after stumbling across a photography video on YouTube.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of stumbling

Adjective

The pair come off less as cybercriminal masterminds than as galumphing galoots—that is to say, a pair of bumbling oafs who thought that asking AI how to cover their tracks was going to keep them out of federal prison.

— Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
In the fall and early winter, there might be 20 creatures lounging there, occasionally galumphing or issuing a burp noise that echoes over the water.

— John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 Nov. 2025

Definition of galumphing

Adjective

But the firm also highlights a 'bull case' where the Strait of Hormuz remains unsteady past the November 3rd elections in America and Brent pops back into the $110 range.

— Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Stiff-person syndrome’s most common symptoms include muscle stiffness and painful spasms that can lead to secondary effects, like unsteady gait, double vision, and slurred speech, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of unsteady

Browse Nearby Words

shambles

shambling

shambolic

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Style

“Shambling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shambling. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shambling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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