Word
wobbly
Phoneticswob·bly
US/ˈwɑbəɫi/
UK/wˈɒbli/
Definition
adj. moving unsteadily from side to side because something is weak or not balanced. You use this to describe a chair that shakes or a person who feels weak on their legs.
adj. tending to move unsteadily from side to side; lacking stability or physical balance. Often used to describe furniture with uneven legs or a person's physical state when feeling faint or nervous.
Examples
“The old wooden table is very wobbly.”
“I felt a bit wobbly after the long flight, so I sat down for a moment.”
“The toddler took several wobbly steps across the living room before finally collapsing into his father's outstretched arms with a giggle.”
Examples
simple
“The old wooden table is very wobbly.”
contextual
“I felt a bit wobbly after the long flight, so I sat down for a moment.”
complex
“The toddler took several wobbly steps across the living room before finally collapsing into his father's outstretched arms with a giggle.”
Usage
Commonly follows linking verbs like 'feel', 'look', or 'become'.
Etymology
Unknown
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
throw a wobbly — To throw a tantrum.
throw wobblies — To throw tantrums (habitually have temper tantrums).
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/wobbly