[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/wobbly/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [W](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/w/) / wobbly

# wobbly

adjective (wobbly, wobblier, wobbliest); noun (throw a wobbly — informal, UK/Aus)

«wobbly» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Something wobbly moves or shakes from side to side because it is not firm or steady: a wobbly table, a wobbly tooth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#m1)
2. If your legs or voice are wobbly, they are shaky because you are tired, ill, scared or upset. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#m2)
3. A wobbly line is not straight or neat. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#m3)
4. (informal, UK, Australia, NZ) To throw a wobbly means to suddenly get very angry or upset. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#m4)

### In the lessons

In everyday life: wobbly teeth, wobbly chairs, wobbly jelly, wobbly first bike rides. In safety lessons a wobbly ladder or shelf is a danger sign. In stories, a character's wobbly voice shows they are nervous or about to cry. Phrases: «a wobbly tooth», «wobbly legs», «throw a wobbly».

### Examples

- My front tooth is wobbly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x1)
- This table is wobbly, so put a book under the leg. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x2)
- The jelly was red and wobbly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x3)
- Her legs felt wobbly after the long run. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x4)
- His voice went wobbly when he said goodbye. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x5)
- I rode my bike, but I was a bit wobbly at first. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x6)
- Don't stand on that wobbly chair! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x7)
- My little brother threw a wobbly when the ice cream fell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/#x8)

### Note

From the verb «wobble». Spelling: wobblier, wobbliest (y becomes i). Americans usually say «loose tooth» rather than «wobbly tooth». A wobbly ladder or chair is unsafe — tell an adult.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «wobbly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wobbly/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«wobbly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wobbly.html) on Mova free.