shudder

American  

[shuhd-er] / ˈʃʌd ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to tremble with a sudden convulsive movement, as from horror, fear, or cold.

   Synonyms:

   quiver

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noun

1. a convulsive movement of the body, as from horror, fear, or cold.

shudder British  

/ ˈʃʌdə /

verb

1. (intr) to shake or tremble suddenly and violently, as from horror, fear, aversion, etc

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noun

1. the act of shuddering; convulsive shiver

Related Words

See shiver ¹.

Other Word Forms

• shuddering adjective
• shudderingly adverb
• shuddery adjective

Etymology

Origin of shudder

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English shodderen (verb) (cognate with German schaudern, from Low German ), frequentative of Old English scūdan “to tremble”; -er ⁶

Example Sentences

Villa's 11-game winning streak in all competitions was brought to a shuddering halt with a 4-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, raising doubts about their ability to maintain a title charge.

From Barron's

Now, all the other NFC contenders are getting hot — Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago — and the Rams are shuddering in an emotional ice bath.

From Los Angeles Times

It came with a shuddering reminder of the kind of things that Russell Martin used to say when he was manager of Rangers.

From BBC

“I…” My breath shudders out of me like I’m cold.

From Literature

On my second watch, I was shocked by how much of “One Battle After Another” already felt tattooed on my brain, down to the shudder I got from Sean Penn’s loathsome Col.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• gyrate
• shiver
• tremble