shuddering

[shuhd-er-ing]

adjective

trembling or quivering with fear, dread, cold, etc.

Also shud·der·y. characterized by or causing a shudder: a shuddering plunge of the ship.

Origin of shuddering

shudder + -ing²

Related formsshud·der·ing·ly, adverbun·shud·der·ing, adjective

shudder

[shuhd-er]

verb (used without object)

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

noun

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

Origin of shudder

1275–1325; Middle English shodderen (v.) (cognate with German schaudern < LG), frequentative of Old English scūdan to tremble; see -er⁶

Can be confusedshudder shutter

Synonyms for shudder

1. quiver. See shiver¹.

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

Related Words for shuddering

gyrate, shiver, tremble, convulse, twitter, wave, shimmy, quake, tremor, dither, jitter

Examples from the Web for shuddering

Contemporary Examples of shuddering

During an Obama-Perry contest, millions of Americans on both sides would be shuddering constantly for four months.
Rick Perry: Red-State Warrior
Michael Tomasky
August 13, 2011

Historical Examples of shuddering

I understood the shuddering thrill that passed over the audience.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
It was as though a thousand devils in shuddering pain were giving tongue.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
He could feel, too, that the Marquis was shuddering beside him.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
I remember covering my face with both my hands, and shuddering with horror.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
It was something inside of me shuddering, and saying 'how revolting!'
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

British Dictionary definitions for shuddering

shudder

verb

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

noun

the act of shuddering; convulsive shiver

Derived Formsshuddering, adjectiveshudderingly, adverbshuddery, adjective

Word Origin for shudder

C18: from Middle Low German schōderen; related to Old Frisian skedda to shake, Old High German skutten to shake

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 shuddering

shudder

early 14c., possibly from Middle Dutch schuderen "to shudder," or Middle Low German schoderen, both frequentative forms from Proto-Germanic *skuth- "to shake." Related: Shuddered; shuddering.

shudder

c.1600, from shudder (v.).