tremulous Hear it!

tremulous Definition

tremu·lous (trem′yo̵̅o̅ ləs)

adjective

  1. trembling; quivering; palpitating
  2. fearful; timid; timorous
  3. marked by or showing trembling or quivering tremulous excitement, tremulous handwriting

Etymology: L tremulus < tremere, to tremble

tremulous Related Forms
trem′u·lously adverb trem′u·lous·ness noun
tremulous Synonyms

tremulous

modif.

  1. Shaking

    trembling, quivering, palpitating; see shaky 1.

  2. Timid

    fearful, shy, timorous; see cowardly 1, timid 2.

tremulous Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • motion: It was a tremulous motion, more than a sudden jar.
  • voice: He began the ceremony, and his low, tremulous voice could scarcely be heard through the moaning of the wind amid the tombs.
  • hand: And yet they seem alive and quivering Against my tremulous hands which loose the string And let them drop down on my knee to-night.
  • tone: Many were visibly affected, and it was in tremulous tones that the congregation entered upon the singing.
  • smile: She is blind to Miss Drone's tremulous smile of pretense that she has chosen to be a wallflower.
  • vocal: Suddenly rooted to the spot, the music halts to leave Lynch's tremulous vocals trail off uneasily.

Modifying Another Word

  • so: I try to be more optimistic, think... " The cassette barely picks up his voice, it is so tremulous and uncaring.

Used with adjective complement

  • sound: These bodily changes can also affect the voice, making it sound tremulous, or disjointed by over-rapid breathing.
tremulous Quotes

O Oisin, mount by me and ride To shores by the wash of the tremulous tide, Where men have heaped no burial-mounds, And the days pass by like a wayward tune.

—Yeats,W(illiam) B(utler)