wobbly

or wab·bly

[ wob-lee ]

/ ˈwɒb li /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wobbly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, wob·bli·er, wob·bli·est.

shaky; unsteady.

Nearby words

wobble, wobble board, wobble plate, wobble pump, wobbling, wobbly, wobegone, woburn, woburn abbey, wocas, wodehouse

Origin of wobbly

First recorded in 1850–55; wobble + -y¹

Related forms

wob·bli·ness, noun

Definition for wobbly (2 of 2)

Wobbly

[ wob-lee ]

/ ˈwɒb li /

noun, plural Wob·blies.

a member of the Industrial Workers of the World.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for wobbly

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 Machine|Clive Irving|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Water|James Kirchick|July 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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.
Gillian Flynn: How I Write|Noah Charney|November 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
They understand very well how precarious their majority is, and how wobbly are its intellectual foundations.
A Slender Silver Lining on the Montana Decision|Michael Tomasky|June 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST

“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|DAILY BEAST
The strong light at the back of the house—a wobbly one—was rapidly becoming a glow in the heavens, as they say in journalese.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, May 16, 1917.|Various
A small grey kitten, with wobbly legs and an infantile mew, made the first breach in the wall.
Threads of Grey and Gold|Myrtle Reed
We say of a "wobbly" sort of person: "That fellow is no use, you can't depend on him."
The Law and the Word|Thomas Troward
They say he came out over the ‘Wobbly’ on a construction train and rode through.
The Road Builders|Samuel Merwin
On his wobbly back sat David, dressed like a jockey and flourishing a whip.
Grace Harlowe's Senior Year at High School|Jessie Graham Flower

British Dictionary definitions for wobbly (1 of 2)

wobbly

/ (ˈwɒblɪ) /

adjective -blier or -bliest

unsteady

trembling, shaking

noun

throw a wobbly slang to become suddenly very agitated or angry

Derived Forms

wobbliness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for wobbly (2 of 2)

Wobbly

/ (ˈwɒblɪ) /

noun plural -blies

a member of the Industrial Workers of the World

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