Link Centre Dictionary

shaky

UK/ˈʃeɪki/ US/ˈʃeɪki/ fairly common

adjective

1.

inclined to shake as from weakness or defect

  • “a rickety table”
  • “a wobbly chair with shaky legs”
  • “the ladder felt a little wobbly”
  • “the bridge still stands though one of the arches is wonky”
Similar
2.

vibrating slightly and irregularly; as e.g. with fear or cold or like the leaves of an aspen in a breeze

  • “a quaking bog”
  • “the quaking child asked for more”
  • “quivering leaves of a poplar tree”
  • “with shaking knees”
  • “seemed shaky on her feet”
  • “sparkling light from the shivering crystals of the chandelier”
  • “trembling hands”
3.

not secure; beset with difficulties

  • “a shaky marriage”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

From shake + -y.

Phrases

  • on shaky ground

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.