wobbly
or wab·bly
[wob-lee]
- shaky; unsteady.
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Origin of wobbly
Wobbly
[wob-lee]
- a member of the Industrial Workers of the World.
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Origin of Wobbly
An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
uneveninsecureweakprecariousunstableunsteadyricketyunbalancedwaveringrattletraprockyunsafeunsurevacillatingwavytotteringfluctuantteeteringExamples from the Web for wobbly
Contemporary Examples
At times he was wobbly about whether he really had enough sources to support what his instinct told him was the truth.
Murdoch on the Rocks: How a Lone Reporter Revealed the Mogul's Tabloid Terror MachineClive Irving
August 25, 2014
That month, he was one of just 23 House members to vote against a $1 billion aid package to the wobbly Ukrainian government.
Meet The Putin-Loving Congressman Who’s Worried About Fluoride In Our Drinking WaterJames Kirchick
July 20, 2014
I have a wobbly desk that I put together poorly about three moves ago, and which is now being held together with gum and string.
They understand very well how precarious their majority is, and how wobbly are its intellectual foundations.
“I want to go to Dave,” Tania said, her voice thin and wobbly.
Inside Tania Head’s Terrible 9/11 Lie: ‘The Woman Who Wasn’t There’Robin Gaby Fisher, Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.
April 6, 2012
Historical Examples
Nor was there gelatine in stock, with which to make a gay-colored, wobbly jelly.
The Rich Little Poor BoyEleanor Gates
"Go on explaining," said Margery, rocking herself in the now wobbly chair.
Once a WeekAlan Alexander Milne
But the trip's just as wobbly as ever for me, riding up here on your shoulder.
Starman's QuestRobert Silverberg
Good-night, said I, going to him to take his hand, for he was too wobbly to have met me halfway.
He felt sick and weak, as helpless as a blind and wobbly pup.
The Fighting EdgeWilliam MacLeod Raine
wobbly
- unsteady
- trembling, shaking
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- throw a wobbly slang to become suddenly very agitated or angry
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Wobbly
- a member of the Industrial Workers of the World
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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 wobbly
Wobbly
n.
1914, member of Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.). Probably some sort of elaboration of the W aspect of the acronym.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper