WRIGGLE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

wriggle

verb

ˈri-gəl

Definition of wriggle

as in to squirm

to make jerky or restless movements a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to crawl

to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to worm

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 wriggle The overwhelming success of Season 1 gave the executive producers wriggle room for Season 2. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 The toddler has already slid halfway down her mother’s lap, her small torso thrown back, using her foot as leverage to wriggle free. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 Soren Stevenson was filming his brother-in-law surfing at Newport Beach, California, the morning of Saturday, July 25 when the white shark jumped out of the water behind him and appeared to wriggle before diving back in. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 29 July 2026 Mikel Oyarzabal attempted to wriggle free of Lisandro Martinez to launch a counter-attack, but Martinez wasn’t having any of that. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for wriggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle

Verb

Where Raphael’s infant Christ is plump, acquiescent, docile, Cassatt’s children squirm, resist, and ignore authority.

— Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
Its defenders will have to do better than making Infantino squirm.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of squirm

Verb

Their only hope is for someone to crawl across the room to the spot with the most intense g-forces and turn it off.

— Keith Phipps, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Classicist and Roman plumbing expert Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow suggests that private toilets might have been cut off from the municipal sewers to prevent animals crawling up the pipes and into homes.

— Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

Gemini has wormed its way into virtually every Google product and service, powering email organization in Gmail, document summary in Drive, and much more.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026
Like parasites, those jukebox musicals wormed their way into Broadway and slowly killed the medium.

— Jesse Eisenberg, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Definition of worm

Verb

The 5-11, 210-pounder is a sudden cutter who runs with power and twitch, attacking space like a great punt returner.

— Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
The muscles in Lola Petticrew’s face twitch ever so slightly, indicating Catherine’s excitement that the police are now in possession of this picture.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

Audiences embraced the films for their creeping realism and slow-building scares, which transformed ordinary bedrooms, hallways and home security cameras into places where something terrifying might be lurking just outside the frame.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Nic Antaya / Getty Images As the calendar creeps toward September, the Detroit Red Wings are still conducting their search for their next general manager.

— Max Bultman, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of creep

Verb

But the real action was in line for the Breen meet and greet, which snaked across the lobby of the Regal’s mezzanine level after the second screening.

— Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
The Premier League trophy was kept out of the way, not shown off, apart from the blazing cover picture in the souvenir programme which ensured queues snaking through the crowd to purchase this special memento.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of snake

Browse Nearby Words

wretches

wriggle

wriggled

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Style

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

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Synonyms of wriggle

verb

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