What does flickeringly mean?
"Flickeringly" is an adverb meaning in a flickering manner — with light or brightness that wavers rapidly and irregularly between stronger and weaker. It derives simply from the verb "flicker," which describes the unsteady movement of a flame, screen, or other shifting source of light. In practice the word appears almost exclusively in literary and descriptive writing, where authors use it to lend atmosphere to scenes lit by candles, fires, or fading lamps: candlelight might fall flickeringly across a page, or shadows move flickeringly along a wall. The word can also be applied figuratively, describing something intangible — hope, memory, attention — that appears and fades in an unstable, unreliable way. Because of its rarity, it carries a distinctly literary flavor and an implicit sense of fragility and impermanence. Most everyday writing instead uses the familiar adjective "flickering," making "flickeringly" an uncommon but evocative choice when prose calls for an unsteady, wavering quality.
adverbIn a manner that flickers; with an unsteady, wavering light or quality that varies rapidly between brightness and dimness.
- With an unsteady, rapidly varying light or brightness.
- (Extended use) In a manner that wavers or shifts unpredictably, as of attention, emotion, or hope.
"The candlelight fell flickeringly across the pages of her book."
"The dying fire lit the room flickeringly, throwing shadows that danced along the walls."
"Hope returned flickeringly, appearing and vanishing with each piece of news."
Rarer than the light it describes: "flickeringly" is so uncommon that many dictionaries don't list it at all — yet writers reach for it whenever they want prose to glow unsteadily.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flickeringly
"Flickeringly" is formed straightforwardly from the verb "flicker" plus the adverbial suffix "-ly." The verb "flicker" dates back to Middle English, where it described unsteady, wavering movement or light, and is generally regarded as being of Germanic origin, likely imitative or expressive in character and related in sense to similar words for quick, fluttering motion. The adverb emerged later, as English routinely produced adverbs from existing verbs' participles, but it never achieved common use and remains a marginal literary form today.
Related word forms
How flickeringly is actually used
"Flickeringly" is rare and largely literary, found mainly in descriptive fiction and evocative prose rather than everyday speech. It carries an atmospheric, often melancholy connotation, suggesting fragility or impermanence. Writers who find it too unusual frequently substitute "waveringly" or restructure the sentence to use the far more common adjective "flickering."
Easily confused with flickeringly
"Flickering" is the adjective describing something that flickers, while "flickeringly" is the rarer adverb describing how an action is performed.