1
as in squirmed
to make jerky or restless movements
a toddler wriggling in his seat all throughout the church service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in infiltrated
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way
within a month of his arrival, this social upstart had wriggled himself into the family's good graces
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wriggled
In the soil in his palm, an earthworm wriggled.
—
Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 26 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wriggled
Verb
-
The open section of their session lasted for 15 minutes — and Howe will have squirmed through every second — but there were laughs amid the stretches and shuttle runs.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
One live roach crawled on the floor in front of a storage rack with seasoning and cans.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Maybe the girl had crawled under a neighbor's trailer while playing hide-and-seek.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Intolerance had infiltrated the sport, and football decided to fight back.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
While contrast therapy has long been popular in Scandinavia, it’s only recently infiltrated mainstream US culture, especially in big cities like New York and Los Angeles.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Baby Briana’s arms twitched and legs flopped against cold concrete.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Diabate put his head down to butt up against Duren’s forehead after the two slowly crept toward each other and Duren took his right hand and swiped at Diabate.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Nerves about possibly missing the NCAA Tournament have crept back in among fans in College Station.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Levy sneaked back to the kitchen to help clean up.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Bhansali has to scan all of his diamonds — millions per year — to make sure no lab-growns have been snuck in the mix.—
Chris Livesay,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
De Boo slid into the padded wall, seemingly more out of frustration than anything else.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Wright ultimately slid to the Seattle Kraken with the fourth pick.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wriggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wriggled. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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