wriggly
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: 1. Moving with a twisting or sinuous motion: Describes something that moves by making quick, short, twisting or writhing movements, similar to a snake or worm. 2. Squirming; fidgeting: Can describe a person or creature that is restless and makes small twisting movements.
Usage Examples
- Describing an animal's movement:
- The angler used a wriggly worm as bait.
- We watched the wriggly larvae in the soil.
- Describing a person's movement or restlessness:
- The toddler was too wriggly to sit still for the photo.
- He tried to hold the wriggly puppy still.
Advanced Usage
- Figurative Use: Can describe something that is difficult to pin down or grasp, either physically or conceptually.
- The politician gave a wriggly answer to avoid the direct question. (This implies an evasive, squirming response.)
Variants and Related Words
- Wriggle (verb): To twist and turn the body with quick, short movements.
- The child tried to wriggle free from his grasp.
- Wriggler (noun): One who or that which wriggles (often used for insect larvae).
- The pond was full of mosquito wrigglers.
Synonyms
- Squirming: Making twisting movements of the body.
- Writhing: Making continual twisting, squirming movements, often due to discomfort.
- Sinuous: Having many curves and turns (more often describes a shape than a movement).
- Fidgety: Inclined to move about restlessly.
Antonyms
- Still: Not moving.
- Motionless: Without movement.
- Stiff: Rigid; not able to bend or twist easily.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- (As) wriggly as an eel: A simile emphasizing something is very slippery and hard to hold, both literally and figuratively.
- The suspect was as wriggly as an eel during the interrogation.
Adjective
- moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion
- wiggly worms