US /ˈʃækli/ UK /ˈʃækli/
adj

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    chiefly dialectal: rickety, shaky, or poorly built

    The shackly wagon rattled whenever its wheels struck a rut.

  2. 2
    adj

    chiefly dialectal: loose-jointed or shambling in movement

    The old horse moved with a shackly gait across the yard.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · chiefly dialectal: rickety,... ricketyramshackle
2 adj · chiefly dialectal:... shamblingunsteady
Opposites
Word family
Related forms shackleshaky

Etymology

Probably formed from dialectal shackle, 'to shake or rattle,' plus -y. Both established senses are chiefly dialectal.

Topics

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