shaky

[shey-kee]

adjective

shakier, shakiest 

1. tending to shake or tremble.

2. trembling; tremulous.

3. liable to break down or give way; insecure; not to be depended upon.

   a shaky bridge.

4. wavering, as in allegiance.

   His loyalty, always shaky, was now nonexistent.

shaky

/ ˈʃeɪkɪ /

adjective

1. tending to shake or tremble

2. liable to prove defective; unreliable

3. uncertain or questionable

   your arguments are very shaky

Other Word Forms

• shakily adverb
• shakiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shaky¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; shake + -y ¹

Example Sentences

For now, both countries have de-escalated tensions but the truce remains shaky.

Read more on Barron's

If Hamas attempts to control Gaza or refuses to disarm, it could set the ground for a deterioration of the shaky peace.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The first set was shaky with Littler taking 13 darts in the second leg to get in, before pair exchanged breaks in leg three and four.

Read more on BBC

Phillipson's team argue a big voice like this outside the cabinet would create a rival power base that could destabilise what is an already shaky political operation.

Read more on BBC

As the shaky finances came into focus this year, James’s backers pulled the plug.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• insecure 
• jittery 
• nervous 
• precarious 
• rickety 
• rocky 
• unsettled 
• unstable 
• unsteady 
• weak 
• wobbly