WRIGGLE Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

wriggle

verb

ˈri-gəl

Definition of wriggle

as in to squirm

to make jerky or restless movements a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to crawl

to move slowly with the body close to the ground a worm slowly wriggled across the sidewalk

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in to worm

to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of wriggle After that moment, Ali was able to wriggle his way out of everything Hotch through at him from there. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 The baby squirrel wriggled, knocked from its forest home in the storm. — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026 The overwhelming success of Season 1 gave the executive producers wriggle room for Season 2. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026 The toddler has already slid halfway down her mother’s lap, her small torso thrown back, using her foot as leverage to wriggle free. — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wriggle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggle

Verb

Laura squirmed under her mother’s gaze, willed the light to turn green.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
American Horror Story loves nothing more than making viewers squirm.

— Jen Chaney, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of squirm

Verb

Researchers have developed a paper-thin foot membrane that lets crawling microrobots harvest electricity directly from the ground beneath them, ditching heavy onboard batteries by turning metal and silicon surfaces into an active power source.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2026
In real-world tests, the hand crawled across 14 different surfaces including smooth floors, metal grates, grass, and gravel.

— Edd Gent, IEEE Spectrum, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of crawl

Verb

Over the next several decades, and countless strangulations, Homer and Bart wormed their way into our hearts.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026
The idea wormed its way through the State Fair machinery, and with a month and a half to go until gates opened, EatFuti heard they’d be allowed to test a pilot program.

— Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of worm

Verb

During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
When a sensor detected the left or right forelimb moving, the hub sent a limb-specific pulse through the body that reached an implant on the corresponding hind leg, which stimulated the sciatic nerve and made that leg twitch.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

Owen Wilson plays an overprotective dad who sneaks his 13-year-old son (Christian Convery) into the festival.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
Jason Sudeikis does sneak in the final emotional moment, when Ted learns that Mae Green, the beloved owner of the local Crown & Anchor pub, apparently died while cheering on the team from the stands.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of sneak

Verb

Kingsolver followed Unsheltered with Demon Copperhead, a retelling of David Copperfield about an Appalachian orphan tossed around the foster system after losing his mother to an overdose.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Tarik Skubal tossed six dominant innings in triple-digit heat, Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy homered and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Game 1 of their NL Division Series on Saturday.

— Beth Harris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of toss

Verb

By Wednesday afternoon, the line for visitor passes to get on base for the ship’s homecoming stretched several hundred feet, snaking across the lawn in front of the building and doubling back on itself.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
Paths wind through a pebbled courtyard and stunning garden, first leading you past the hotel’s cafe, then snaking its way to the main building’s lobby.

— Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of snake

Browse Nearby Words

wretches

wriggle

wriggled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wriggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggle. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wriggle

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Luddite

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes