What does tremulous mean?
Tremulous describes something that shakes, quivers, or seems unsteady, most often because of fear, anxiety, excitement, or another strong emotion. A person may have a tremulous voice, or a speaker may become tremulous before an audience. The adjective can also describe a position, arrangement, or situation as insecure and dangerously unstable. Although related to the everyday word “tremble,” tremulous generally has a more formal and expressive register, giving it a slightly literary or dramatic quality. It is especially useful when an emotion is visible or audible and when the writer wants to emphasize vulnerability rather than merely say that someone is nervous. Its figurative sense extends to circumstances or structures whose stability is doubtful. Because it conveys both physical movement and emotional tension, tremulous is useful in prose intended to make a reader feel a speaker’s fear, uncertainty, or excitement.
adjectiveShaking or quivering, especially as a result of fear, anxiety, excitement, or strong emotion. It can also describe something unsteady or insecure.
- Shaking or quivering, especially from fear, anxiety, excitement, or strong emotion.
- Unsteady, insecure, or liable to change or collapse.
"She answered in a tremulous voice, trying to contain her excitement."
"The witness spoke in a tremulous voice as she described the accident."
"The bridge was old and in a tremulous condition, with some of its supports visibly weakened."
Tremulous comes from Latin tremulus, meaning “trembling” or “shaking,” making its history unusually literal.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How tremulous is actually used
Formal or literary in tone. It often suggests vulnerability or intense emotion rather than a casual nervousness, and it is especially associated with voices, hands, and movements.