wobbly

¹

Or wab·bly

[wob-lee]

adjective

wobblier, wobbliest 

1. shaky; unsteady.

Wobbly

²

[wob-lee]

noun

plural

Wobblies 

1. a member of the Industrial Workers of the World.

wobbly

¹

/ ˈwɒblɪ /

adjective

1. unsteady

2. trembling, shaking

noun

1. slang,  to become suddenly very agitated or angry

Wobbly

²

/ ˈwɒblɪ /

noun

1. a member of the Industrial Workers of the World

Other Word Forms

• wobbliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wobbly¹

First recorded in 1850–55; wobble + -y ¹

Origin of wobbly²

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

We’ve mentioned umpteen times that unless something is done, Social Security’s wobbly Trust Fund — paid by workers and their employers — could run out as soon as 2032.

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Slipping home prices, a wobbly job market and economic uncertainty have left some customers on the sidelines, executives said.

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Whereupon the current lord of Ashton Place jumped up to help his wobbly, not-really-dead father back to a comfortable chair.

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“I have no wish to invade your realms, Miss Lumley. But perhaps I might borrow a chair? The one at my table is rather wobbly in the leg.”

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Instead he retreated to the farthest corner of the nursery, where he began building tall, wobbly towers out of square wooden blocks that he then proceeded to tip over with barely a hint of satisfaction.

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Related Words

• insecure 
• precarious 
• rickety 
• unbalanced 
• uneven 
• unstable 
• unsteady 
• weak