Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Moving unsteadily from side to side; shaking or rocking: Describes an object or person that is not stable and moves with small, quick, back-and-forth or side-to-side motions.
   • (Of sound) Fluctuating unsteadily in pitch or tone: Describes a sound, especially a musical note or voice, that is not steady and varies in a wavering manner.

Usage Examples

• Adjective (Physical Movement):

  • The wobbling table needs a piece of cardboard under one leg to be stable.
  • The toddler took a few wobbling steps before falling down.

• Adjective (Sound):

  • The singer's wobbling voice betrayed her nervousness.
  • He heard a low-pitched wobbling sound coming from the old engine.

Advanced Usage

• "to be wobbling on the edge/brink of (something)": to be in a very unstable or uncertain position regarding a situation or decision.
  • The company is wobbling on the brink of bankruptcy.
• Used to describe abstract concepts like confidence or resolve that are unsteady.
  • Her resolve was wobbling after hearing the discouraging news.

Variants and Related Words

• Wobble (verb): To move unsteadily from side to side; to shake.
  • The chair wobbles because the floor is uneven.
• Wobble (noun): An unsteady movement.
  • There's a slight wobble in the wheel.
• Wobbly (adjective): Tending to wobble; unsteady. (Often used more informally than "wobbling").
  • After the long run, my legs felt wobbly.

Synonyms

• Teetering: Moving or balancing unsteadily; swaying back and forth.
• Shaking: Moving with quick, short movements from side to side or up and down.
• Quavering: (Especially of a voice) shaking or trembling from emotion or weakness.
• Fluctuating: Rising and falling irregularly in number or amount.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Wobble about/around: To move around in an unsteady, shaky way.
  • The jelly on the plate wobbled about as she carried it.

Related Idioms

• To throw a wobbly (British, informal): To suddenly become very angry or upset.
  • He threw a wobbly when he saw the mess in the kitchen. (Note: This idiom uses the related adjective "wobbly," not "wobbling" directly).

Adjective

1. (of sound) fluctuating unsteadily
   • a low-pitched wobbling sound