quivering

American  

[kwiv-uh-ring] / ˈkwɪv ə rɪŋ /

adjective

1. trembling or shaking with a slight, rapid motion, or seeming to tremble or shake.

   The sun climbed higher and movement ceased: over the whole summit, figures lay still in the quivering heat.

   Forty hertz is really fast, like the quivering light from a faulty fluorescent bulb.

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noun

1. an act or instance of shaking with a slight but rapid motion.

   The quivering in the heart upsets the normal rhythm between the atria and the lower parts of the heart, the ventricles.

Other Word Forms

• quiveringly
  adverb
• unquivering
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of quivering

First recorded in 1530–40; quiver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective; quiver ¹ ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun

Explanation

Quivering means trembling. If your dog begins quivering with fear whenever someone knocks on your door, he's not much use as a guard dog. When something's shaking gently, like a candle flame shivering slightly in a breeze, you can describe it as quivering. On a windy day, you might see the leaves of trees or the ruffled feathers of a bird quivering in the wind. There are a few theories about the origin of the word quivering including the possibility that the word quiver was developed onomatopoeically — or creating a word that sounds like its meaning, like a vibrating kind of shiver.

Example Sentences

Through evocative descriptions—the skylark’s trill “hovering in the quivering air,” or the sun rising over a “silvery, dew-thick cow meadow”—Ms. Haynes invites us to take part in the daily rhythms of our natural world.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Marius Borg Høiby, 29, looked overwhelmed by the occasion, his voice quivering as he paused several times to take off his glasses and wipe his eyes.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

Hegseth’s brief tenure at the Pentagon has been dominated by his quivering inability to deal with any kind of challenge or discomfort.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2025

You will achieve nothing by quivering “B-b-but the price-to-earnings ratio!” as its stock continues to trade above this atmosphere.

From Slate • Jul. 8, 2025

"Your hair!" the mother was shrieking, pointing a quivering finger at her husband.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• shaking
• shivering
• trembling