flickering
adjective
flick·er·ing
ˈfli-k(ə-)riŋ 
: moving or shining irregularly or unsteadily
a flickering light
Everything was lit by dingy fluorescent bulbs, half of which were broken or flickering.—
Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick
also
: uncertain and feeble
… he seems to have had only a flickering awareness of what he was doing … —Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren And some of the exclamation marks and the nostalgia for degradation revive flickering thoughts of Celine. —Herbert Gold
Herbert Gold The doctors said they couldn't stop the support measures needed to sustain so flickering a life without a court order. —Arthur Allen
Arthur Allen
flickeringly
adverb
a flickeringly lit room
Examples of flickering in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022
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.
Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near flickering
Cite this Entry
“Flickering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flickering. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share