FLAILING Synonyms: 145 Similar and Opposite Words

flailing 1 of 2

noun

Definition of flailing

as in flapping

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

flailing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of flail

as in fluttering

to move or cause to move with a striking motion started to flail his arms wildly when he spied a bat in the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in whipping

to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible gruesome evidence that the prisoner had been flailed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of flailing

Noun

Unai Emery’s penchant for rehabilitating flailing, once prodigious talents now extends to Alejandro Garnacho. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 30 July 2026 This is not the approach of a president who’s running a war; this is the flailing of a man who’s in over his head and is reacting to events, rather than guiding them. — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026 For all his bobbing and flailing, and sensitive shaping of the music, conductor Christian Capocaccia evinced little attention to singers. — Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 11 Apr. 2026 But his role was not to fix a flailing business, but, rather, to keep a roaring flame alive. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026 Somatic shaking involves a few minutes of fast, energetic movement like jumping, arm flailing, and foot stomping. — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 2 Mar. 2026 Not only are customers being driven mad by the bots getting orders completely wrong, but even some company executives are also being worn down by the flailing effort. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026 But even if part of the point is to show that healing doesn’t happen overnight, the catharsis is too vague to reward all the flailing distress. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026 And so too is his slightly flailing, vaguely desperate, going-for-it run, typified by his hair falling out of place and the sense that this man is fundamentally, for all his money and celebrity, some guy trying to get from one place to another. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025

Verb

Whining, crying, kicking, hitting, flailing, dropping to the floor, holding their breath, going limp, running away or throwing things are all part of the picture. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Trump is merely flailing for options that might avoid the humiliation of losing the war or the risk of escalating beyond standoff strikes. — Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026 Wang joined in June of last year as the centerpiece of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s effort to revamp his company’s flailing artificial intelligence strategy. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026 So kudos to the extras who steal scenes from them in the background, flailing like avant-garde dancers when a vicious mental parasite leaps from grandmothers to joggers to security guards on a quest to find something awful. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 Flushed and flailing during Schauf’s final countdown, her gum-chewing getting a little more exaggerated with each second, Cooper quipped that her handiwork might be better sealed under a closed casket. — John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 As if on command, the lefty struck out Carter Jensen on three fastballs and then sent Lane Thomas flailing at a changeup for another punchout. — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 25 July 2026 The theme of a flailing small town hits home for the set of Ransom Canyon as well. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 23 July 2026 And regardless, such arrangements are unlikely to save a flailing labor market. — Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flailing

Noun

Symmetrical wing flapping generates forward thrust, while differential wing motion provides steering for smooth, quiet indoor flight.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 13 July 2026
In recent days, viewers were treated to the younger eagles practicing their wing flapping and preparing to make their first official flights.

— Kris Wernowsky, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

Definition of flapping

Verb

The postgame image of Brees holding his then-1-year-old first child, Baylen, as both grasped at fluttering confetti, is iconic in New Orleans.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Surrounded by hundreds of butterflies fluttering between tropical plants inside the Powell Gardens Conservatory, Heidi Boehm watched as visitors stopped, looked upward and waited for one to land nearby.

— Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of fluttering

Verb

He’s spent the last week whipping senators to support it and even enlisted former Alabama football coach Nick Saban to dial up undecided lawmakers, according to people familiar with the matter.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Battered cars with numbers sprayed on their sides are whipping around the dirt track of the Lebanon Valley Speedway, loose fenders flopping like overgrown bangs in the swirling dust.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of whipping

Noun

Similarly, the World Cup is a global phenomenon in which the waving of national colors reaches fever pitch.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 July 2026
Egypt has arrested and prosecuted gays and lesbians on the basis of vague indecency laws and has cracked down on any outward expressions of Pride, especially the waving of rainbow flags.

— Andrew Destin, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026

Definition of waving

Verb

Risk intelligence gives marketplaces visibility into emerging threats as well as those hiding in plain sight.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
In videos posted to his Instagram account, Gallegos can be seen hiding underneath a table as plumes of dust burst in the air and parts of the ceiling crashed into the ground.

— Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of hiding

Verb

One of those attacks was a bear slashing a man’s chest outside his home in North Canaan.

— Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Senate Republicans have expressed wariness in recent days about the prospect of slashing those standards, which advocates say help keep kids safe and healthy.

— Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of slashing

Browse Nearby Words

flailed

flailing

flails

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Flailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flailing. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of flailing

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on flailing

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

salvo

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes