squiggly

American  

[skwig-lee] / ˈskwɪg li /

adjective

1. forming or containing short, often irregular curves or twists, as in writing or drawing.

   The bedsheets feature bright, happy colors, with fun polka-dot, squiggly, and swirly prints.

   If your screen shows no squiggly lines under the words, from the automatic spelling and grammar check, you’ve written a good letter.

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Etymology

Origin of squiggly

First recorded in 1890–95; squigg(le) ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

“The groomsmen look like lost members of 98 Degrees, wearing squiggly goatees and gummy-worm braids.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2025

Released on Friday, it's packed full of off-kilter lyrics and squiggly synth lines that burrow into your brain.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025

Mr. Fiddler was a versatile keyboardist, equally adept at playing warm Fender Rhodes grooves or squiggly synthesizer arpeggios, skills honed during his decade with P-Funk, from 1986 to 1996.

From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2023

The less evenly distributed the squiggly proteins are, the curlier the hair.

From Scientific American • Aug. 16, 2023

It’s gloomy, with squiggly lines of red in it.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• coiled
• curly
• curved
• sinuous