unsteady
- throw a wobbly ⇒
to become suddenly very agitated or angry
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
wob•bly
(wob′lē),USA pronunciation adj., -bli•er, -bli•est.
wob′bli•ness, n.
Wob•bly (wob′lē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -blies.
- shaky;
unsteady.
- wobble + -y1 1850–55
Wob•bly (wob′lē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -blies.
- Business, Governmenta member of the Industrial Workers of the World.
- of uncertain origin, originally 1910–15, American.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
wob•ble /ˈwɑbəl/USA pronunciation
v., -bled, -bling, n.
v.
n. [countable]
wob•bli•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025v.
- to move unsteadily with a side-to-side motion:[no object]The unbalanced wheel wobbled as he drove slowly to the repair shop.
- to (cause to) be unsteady;
(cause to) tremble: [no object]The table wobbled on its uneven legs.[~ + object]The champ wobbled his opponent with the next punch. - to be undecided or change one's mind too readily;
vacillate;
waver:[no object]The president wobbled on the question of higher taxes.
n. [countable]
- a wobbling movement.
wob•bli•ness, n. [uncountable]
wob•ble
(wob′əl),USA pronunciation v., -bled, -bling, n.
v.i.
v.t.
n.
wob′bler, n.
v.i.
- to incline to one side and to the other alternately, as a wheel, top, or other rotating body when not properly balanced.
- to move unsteadily from side to side:The table wobbled on its uneven legs.
- to show unsteadiness;
tremble;
quaver:His voice wobbled. - to vacillate;
waver.
v.t.
- to cause to wobble.
n.
- a wobbling movement.
- Low German wabbeln; akin to Old Norse vafla to toddle, Middle High German wabelen to waver, Old English wæflian to speak incoherently
- 1650–60
'wobbly' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):