shaky

[ shey-kee ]

adjective

, shak·i·er, shak·i·est.

1. tending to shake or tremble.
2. trembling; tremulous.
3. liable to break down or give way; insecure; not to be depended upon:

   a shaky bridge.

4. wavering, as in allegiance:

   His loyalty, always shaky, was now nonexistent.

shaky

/ ˈʃeɪkɪ /

adjective

1. tending to shake or tremble
2. liable to prove defective; unreliable
3. uncertain or questionable

   your arguments are very shaky

Derived Forms

• ˈshakiness, noun
• ˈshakily, adverb

Other Words From

• shaki·ly adverb
• shaki·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of shaky¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; shake + -y ¹

Example Sentences

But England's defence stepped up to the task and put aside recent criticism after looking shaky this year.

From BBC

And while one well-known cause of air turbulence is thunderstorms, it’s poorly understood how far from a tempest shaky conditions are likely to persist.

From New York Times

In one of the shaky phone videos shown in court, a tall naked man stands in the middle of a dark bedroom.

From BBC

The prospect of paying more for consumer goods was especially unappealing after years of high inflation, which has led to a persistent feeling among many people that they’re on shaky financial footing.

From Los Angeles Times

Still, Tester lost his reelection bid to a Republican who moved to the state just a decade ago and revealed a shaky relationship with the truth.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• insecure
• jittery
• nervous
• precarious
• rickety
• rocky
• unsettled
• unstable
• unsteady
• weak
• wobbly