skittish

adjective

ˈski-tish How to pronounce skittish (audio)
Definition of skittishnext
1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature the skittish colt leapt up when we approached

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know

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3
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly a skittish housing market had both buyers and sellers on edge

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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 skittish And as the budget deficit heads toward $2 trillion a year with no sign of lawmakers trying to rein it in, the market is getting skittish about continuing to lend to the federal government at such levels. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026 There’s no excuse for wheeling in some talkative NPC just to explain why the townsfolk are acting skittish. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 Such a move would further roil already skittish energy markets. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 The erosion of romance by financial woes, a common plight in life, is surprisingly hard to find on TV—perhaps precisely because executives are skittish about hitting viewers too close to home. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
  1. excitable
  2. timid
  3. volatile
  4. nervous
  5. unpredictable
Adjective
  • Kalind, the younger brother of a bonobo named Kevin, was the more excitable and playful of the two.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, Deanna is a proud mother of three and an excitable introvert.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of excitable
Adjective
  • Because, at this point, helping the Ukrainians achieve victory would cost relatively little, yet the West remains timid.
    — Dan Crenshaw, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Defense can’t be too timid, but there needs to be rational response to an asymmetric downside.
    — Bob Ackerman, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of timid
Adjective
  • To their credit, the creative minds behind the Absolute series don’t bother masking their politics — an especially bold move for anyone working in an industry with an often reactive and volatile fandom.
    — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Still, the prospect of additional supply from American producers remains uncertain, with companies reluctant to commit to major new investments amid volatile prices and geopolitical risks.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of volatile
Adjective
  • That sounds appealing, especially to investors nervous about market declines.
    — Daniel Kern, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Shopkeepers boarded up windows while others opened temporarily and endured a nervous Saturday afternoon, after around 3,000 shops were damaged or looted last weekend.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of nervous
Adjective
  • Rashida Jones and Will McCormack wrote the screenplay for the film that follows two couples at a dinner party that turns into an unpredictable evening exposing messy relationships and desires.
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The Serbian leader had long been seen as an unpredictable annoyance, and his balancing act wasn’t particularly subtle.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of unpredictable

Browse Nearby Words

skittery
skittish
skittishly
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Cite this Entry

“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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