squiggle
1 of 2verb
squig·gle ˈskwi-gəl 
squiggled; squiggling ˈskwi-g(ə-)liŋ
intransitive verb
1
: squirm, wriggle
squiggling in her seat
2
: to write or paint hastily : scribble
transitive verb
1
: scribble
2
: to form or cause to form in squiggles
squiggle
2 of 2noun
: a short wavy twist or line : curlicue
especially : an illegible scrawl
squiggly
ˈskwi-g(ə-)lē
adjective 
Synonyms
Verb
- fiddle
- fidget
- jerk
- jig
- jiggle
- squirm
- thrash
- thresh
- toss
- twist
- twitch
- wiggle
- wriggle
- writhe
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb a pediatrician's waiting room full of squiggling toddlers there are some illegible notes squiggled in the margins of the old book Noun His handwriting looks like a bunch of squiggles.
Recent Examples on the Web
David A. Lieb And Nicholas Riccardi, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Nov. 2021 Democrats who control the legislature have adopted a map with lines that squiggle snake-like across the state to swoop up Democratic voters and relegate Republicans to a few districts. chicagotribune.com, 10 Nov. 2021 Squiggly Monster had his many eyes on the prize, but just couldn’t squiggle his way to a win. Andrea Towers, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2021 Glass noodles squiggle in the mix for a little snap. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2021 The surrounding plasma will become too hot for even radio waves to squiggle through, and for six terrifying minutes, the passengers won’t be able to talk with Mission Control. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2020 The tadpoles of western toads squiggle, and water skeeters perform a graceful backwoods ballet. Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, 27 May 2018 David Beard, Car and Driver, 26 July 2022 The remaining paintings are mostly just dull, with a squiggle of color here and a flourish of flash there, merely dressing up a conventional photo of a car. Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2022 There are also two interactive pieces, one of which is a Scrabble-like board atop which participants can position acrylic tiles embellished with a single blue squiggle. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 July 2022 With the help of a machine called a sound spectrograph, Payne converted the voices on the tape into a series of squiggle-like notations. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 They are served cold in a 16-ounce pouch with a yellow squiggle straw. Courtney Wilson, Chron, 20 Apr. 2022 In August, another of Calderon’s squiggle resold for $2.5 million. New York Times, 12 Feb. 2022 The western edge is a squiggle running slightly north-northwest to south-southeast. al, 2 Jan. 2022 Windham drew a Charlie Brown-style squiggle face to her own note and added it to the board. al, 2 Aug. 2021 See More
Verb
Democrats who control the legislature have adopted a map with lines that squiggle snake-like across the state to swoop up Democratic voters and relegate Republicans to a few districts. David A. Lieb And Nicholas Riccardi, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Nov. 2021 Democrats who control the legislature have adopted a map with lines that squiggle snake-like across the state to swoop up Democratic voters and relegate Republicans to a few districts. chicagotribune.com, 10 Nov. 2021 Squiggly Monster had his many eyes on the prize, but just couldn’t squiggle his way to a win. Andrea Towers, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2021 Glass noodles squiggle in the mix for a little snap. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2021 The surrounding plasma will become too hot for even radio waves to squiggle through, and for six terrifying minutes, the passengers won’t be able to talk with Mission Control. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2020 The tadpoles of western toads squiggle, and water skeeters perform a graceful backwoods ballet. Lynda V. Mapes, The Seattle Times, 27 May 2018 Noun
From a 60-mph roll, mash the gas and the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber squiggle from excitement. David Beard, Car and Driver, 26 July 2022 The remaining paintings are mostly just dull, with a squiggle of color here and a flourish of flash there, merely dressing up a conventional photo of a car. Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2022 There are also two interactive pieces, one of which is a Scrabble-like board atop which participants can position acrylic tiles embellished with a single blue squiggle. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 8 July 2022 With the help of a machine called a sound spectrograph, Payne converted the voices on the tape into a series of squiggle-like notations. Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 They are served cold in a 16-ounce pouch with a yellow squiggle straw. Courtney Wilson, Chron, 20 Apr. 2022 In August, another of Calderon’s squiggle resold for $2.5 million. New York Times, 12 Feb. 2022 The western edge is a squiggle running slightly north-northwest to south-southeast. al, 2 Jan. 2022 Windham drew a Charlie Brown-style squiggle face to her own note and added it to the board. al, 2 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
blend of squirm and wriggle
First Known Use
Verb
circa 1816, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1900, in the meaning defined above
squiggling
verb
1
as in twitching
to make jerky or restless movements a pediatrician's waiting room full of squiggling toddlers Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- twitching
- squirming
- tossing
- fidgeting
- jerking
- twisting
- writhing
- fiddling
- wiggling
- wriggling
- trembling
- shivering
- shaking
- quivering
- jiggling
- jigging
- thrashing
- fluttering
- flitting
- threshing
- shuddering
- quaking
- pacing
- twittering
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- resting
- unwinding
- relaxing
- calming (down)
- stilling
2
as in scribbling
to write or draw hastily or carelessly there are some illegible notes squiggled in the margins of the old book Synonyms & Similar Words
- scribbling
- scrawling
- scratching
- doodling
- writing
- lettering
- printing
- penciling
- inking
- penning
- pencilling
- inscribing
- jotting (down)