shaky

[shey-kee]

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adjective, shak·i·er, shak·i·est.

tending to shake or tremble.

trembling; tremulous.

liable to break down or give way; insecure; not to be depended upon: a shaky bridge.

wavering, as in allegiance: His loyalty, always shaky, was now nonexistent.

Origin of shaky

First recorded in 1695–1705; shake + -y¹

Related formsshak·i·ly, adverbshak·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for shakiness

uncertainty, oscillation, fluctuation, immaturity, hesitation, inconsistency, insecurity, pliancy, disquiet, unsteadiness, wavering, inquietude, alternation, vacillation, fluidity, weakness, precariousness, irresolution, frailty, volatility

Examples from the Web for shakiness

Historical Examples of shakiness

"I am your chief," he began, trying to master the shakiness of his voice.
Tales of Unrest
Joseph Conrad
The ink is faded and brown, the flourishes have the shakiness of age.
The Lure of Old London
Sophie Cole
Rick spoke up, and he was surprised that there was no shakiness in his voice.
The Caves of Fear
John Blaine
But he must have felt the shakiness of his answer afterwards.
When Ghost Meets Ghost
William Frend De Morgan
The shakiness of his little raft dissuaded him, and he abandoned the idea.
The Mad Planet
Murray Leinster

British Dictionary definitions for shakiness

shaky

adjective shakier or shakiest

tending to shake or tremble

liable to prove defective; unreliable

uncertain or questionableyour arguments are very shaky

Derived Formsshakily, adverbshakiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shakiness

shaky

adj.

1840, of handwriting; 1841 of persons, horses, and credit; 1850 of structures; from shake (v.) + -y (2). General sense of "uncertain, of questionable integrity" is from 1834. Earliest of trees or logs, "split, having fissures" (1808). Related: Shakily; shakiness.