Standard Lemma guide

tremulous

adj · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɹɛmjʊləs/
  • General-American: /ˈtɹɛmjuləs/
  • General-American: /ˈtɹɛmjələs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ləs
  • CMU ARPABET: T R EH1 M Y AH0 L AH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Trembling, quivering, or shaking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quaking, shivering, shaky, trembly, tremulant

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Timid, hesitant; lacking confidence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fearful, timorous, wavering

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the old lady's quavering voice
  • spoke timidly in a tremulous voice

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: quavering

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Latin tremulus, from tremō (“to tremble, shake”) + -ulus. Doublet of tremor and tremble. By surface analysis, tremulate + -ous.

Across languages

Translations

42 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Esperanto: trema — trembling, quivering, or shaking
  • Arabic: مرتجف (murtajif) — trembling or shaking
  • Arabic: مترجفة (murtajifa) — trembling or shaking
  • Armenian: դողդոջուն (doġdoǰun) — trembling or shaking
  • Armenian: դողացող (doġacʻoġ) — trembling or shaking
  • Bulgarian: треперещ (treperešt) — trembling or shaking
  • Catalan: tremolós — trembling or shaking
  • Finnish: tärisevä — trembling or shaking
  • Finnish: vapiseva — trembling or shaking
  • French: tremblant — trembling or shaking
  • Galician: trémulo — trembling or shaking
  • German: zitternd — trembling or shaking
  • Greek: τρέμουλος (trémoulos) — trembling or shaking
  • Persian: لرزان (larzân) — trembling or shaking
  • Portuguese: trémulo — trembling or shaking
  • Portuguese: trêmulo — trembling or shaking
  • Portuguese: tremulante — trembling or shaking
  • Serbo-Croatian: drhtav — trembling or shaking
  • Serbo-Croatian: tremorozan — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: trémulo — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: tembleque — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: tembloroso — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: temblador — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: tremoso — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: tembladero — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: tremulento — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: tembloso — trembling or shaking
  • Spanish: temblón — trembling or shaking
  • Ukrainian: тремтячий (tremtjačyj) — trembling or shaking
  • Ukrainian: тремтливий (tremtlyvyj) — trembling or shaking
  • Ukrainian: трепетний (trepetnyj) — trembling or shaking
  • Ukrainian: трепетливий (trepetlyvyj) — trembling or shaking
  • Bulgarian: плах (plah) — timid, hesitant
  • Bulgarian: боязлив (bojazliv) — timid, hesitant
  • Dutch: bevend — timid, hesitant
  • Finnish: epävarma — timid, hesitant
  • Finnish: hermostunut — timid, hesitant
  • French: timide — timid, hesitant
  • French: timoré — timid, hesitant
  • German: ängstlich — timid, hesitant
  • German: furchtsam — timid, hesitant
  • Ukrainian: боязкий (bojazkyj) — timid, hesitant