26984 words

shaky

10 definitions • 20 examples
1
moving with quick, short movements from side to side, not in a controlled way:

Examples:

Soon after it was born, the calf got up and tried to stand on its shaky legs.
The child wrote her name in large shaky letters.
She's recovering well from her operation, but she's still a little shaky on her feet.
2

Examples:

The news left me feeling a little shaky.
3
not firm or strong:

Examples:

The building's foundations are rather shaky, and it could collapse at any time.
We are taking these steps to try to improve the country's shaky economy.
Their marriage looks pretty shaky to me.
I think you're on very shaky ground with that argument.
4

Examples:

This was my fourth time in a plane, but I still felt shaky.
5
not firm or strong:

Examples:

It was a shaky marriage from the start.
The building’s foundations are pretty shaky.
6
Shaky also means uncertain:

Examples:

The agreement is still shaky and hasn’t been approved yet.
7
Someone whose performance is shaky is not performing well:

Examples:

After a shaky start, the team started moving the ball and communicating.
8
moving with quick, short movements from side to side, not in a controlled way:

Examples:

His hands were shaky.
She spoke in a shaky voice (= a voice that changed frequently because of emotion).
9
not in good condition or likely to fail:

Examples:

The government is taking these steps to try to improve the country's shaky economy.
Too many mortgages were given to people with shaky credit histories.
Several of the big life insurance companies are looking shaky.
10
in a situation in which there is a strong possibility that something might stop working, be defeated, etc.:

Examples:

The state's finances are still on shaky ground.
I think you're on very shaky ground with that argument.

Navigation