SHAKEN Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

shaken

verb

past participle of shake

as in shuddered

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the bus rattled and shook as it barreled down a rutted road

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in escaped

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery we shook our pursuers by cutting through the abandoned lot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of shaken Sporting Wichita Academy said the tragedy had shaken a soccer community built around families and teammates, thanking first responders, medical workers and bystanders who stepped in to help. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Statistics aside, Kulkarni said she was personally shaken by the threat in Illinois. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Billy Crystal says the loss of his home in the 2025 Pacific Palisades fires and the killing of longtime friend Rob Reiner have shaken his faith. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 History professor Rebecca Scofield wrote a New York Times opinion piece published Monday about how her life was rocked after a woman began blaming Scofield on social media for the four murders that had deeply shaken her Moscow community. — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026 Vision is shaken by this evidence that Thomas did meet Wanda. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 In some respects, Mann’s production company Dhar Mann Studios is starting to resemble the legacy studios whose foundations are being shaken by creators like him. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 The Great British Baking Show has returned to ensure fall is cozier than ever, and Paul Hollywood’s hands are fully shaken. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Oct. 2026 The mental health of Ukraine’s children has been severely shaken by the war. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken

Verb

Conservatives shuddered to think how close the country had come to permanent entangling alliances.

— Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
McDonald’s shares fell nearly 5% Wednesday, their largest percentage drop since April 2025, as investors shuddered at the eye-popping price of improving McDonald’s 46,000 global stores.

— Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of shuddered

Verb

During the test, Linton jerked and twitched in what prosecutors described as an attempt to fake a seizure.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Somewhere nearby, in a dark office, an eavesdropping oreja has just jerked to attention on his hard little chair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of jerked

Verb

During this time, the streamer consistently ended up with best picture nominations, but top awards have notoriously evaded Netflix films.

— Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
But the Hurricanes passer evaded FSU defenders on a key play early in the second quarter, escaping two would-be tacklers and throwing downfield to a wide-open Daylyn Upshaw for a 44-yard gain.

— Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of evaded

Verb

Shoppers are now as likely to be swayed by an agent’s recommendation as by an influencer, Morning Consult finds, but few are comfortable letting AI make purchases on their behalf.

— Jake Angelo, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Yet residents of Hazle Township aren’t swayed by the prospect of fast cash, viewing it as a payoff, and a weak one at that.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 15 Oct. 2026