flickering

adjective

flick·​er·​ing ˈfli-k(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce flickering (audio)
: moving or shining irregularly or unsteadily
a flickering light
Everything was lit by dingy fluorescent bulbs, half of which were broken or flickering.Brian Selznick
also : uncertain and feeble
… he seems to have had only a flickering awareness of what he was doing … Robert Penn Warren
And some of the exclamation marks and the nostalgia for degradation revive flickering thoughts of Celine. Herbert Gold
The doctors said they couldn't stop the support measures needed to sustain so flickering a life without a court order. Arthur Allen
flickeringly adverb
a flickeringly lit room

Examples of flickering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But there’s more flickering contrast in Narayan van Maele’s lensing, which alternates dun realism with occasionally hyperreal lighting and composition, particularly when the pagan promise of fire is in the frame. Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1544, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flickering was circa 1544

Dictionary Entries Near flickering

Cite this Entry

“Flickering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flickering. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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