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

Some begin with a grandmother’s battered recipe card, others with a shaky first attempt at gravy.

Read more on Salon

There is absolutely no question that, after a shaky start to the season, Lando Norris has moved up a gear or two since the summer break.

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“Suddenly, the health-care system on which I relied felt strained, shaky.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"Suddenly, the healthcare system on which I relied felt strained, shaky."

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Now, shaky job prospects have her worried and in financial limbo.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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