shakier; shakiest
1
: characterized by shakes
shaky timber
2
a
: lacking stability : precarious
a shaky economy
performed well after a shaky start
b
: lacking in firmness (as of beliefs or principles)
c
: lacking in authority or reliability : questionable
shaky experimental procedures
shaky data
3
a
: somewhat unsound in health
b
: characterized by shaking
4
: likely to give way or break down
Examples of shaky in a Sentence
She took a few shaky steps before she collapsed.
Her commitment to the cause seems shaky.
Their marriage is on shaky ground.
The team has performed better lately after getting off to a shaky start.
Recent Examples on the Web
Throughout last year art dealers have spoken about tough market conditions and a shaky financial climate.
—
Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Mark forms a shaky alliance in an all-or-nothing play, while the team makes a dangerous last stand.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Flashbacks fill us in on the police brutality Bart endured, and an episode in which Ray has a drug freakout is shot with blurry fuzziness and a shaky cam.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb as tensions are high with the U.S. over its sanctions and with Israel as a shaky ceasefire holds in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
—arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shaky
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Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Mark forms a shaky alliance in an all-or-nothing play, while the team makes a dangerous last stand.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Flashbacks fill us in on the police brutality Bart endured, and an episode in which Ray has a drug freakout is shot with blurry fuzziness and a shaky cam.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2025
Iran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb as tensions are high with the U.S. over its sanctions and with Israel as a shaky ceasefire holds in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
—arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shaky
Cite this Entry
“Shaky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shaky. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shaky
adjective
shakier; shakiest
1
a
: lacking firmness
b
: lacking in authority or reliability : questionable
shaky data
2
: marked by shaking : trembling
3
: likely to give way or break down
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