1
a
: lively or frisky in action : capricious
b
2
: easily frightened : restive
a skittish horse
skittishly
adverb
skittishness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of skittish in a Sentence
We've been skittish about taking on such a large mortgage.
the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Recent Examples on the Web
An unfortunate excavating accident in upstate New York could have ended in tragedy for a tiny bear cub — but the young bear’s skittish instincts may have saved its life.
—
Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Headwinds from the struggling commercial real estate sector, stubbornly high interest rates that have led to unrealized losses, and the threat of skittish depositors after the rapid collapse of several regional lenders last March have led some experts to warn that more bank failures are inevitable.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024
Moments of ambient bliss gave way to dark, skittish, low-end patterns, while the percussive sounds of steam, passing subway trains and, appropriately, waves further deepened the transportive effects.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 3 Mar. 2024
While the Republican base may be smitten with Trump, plenty of big-money donors are skittish about bankrolling his nonsense.
—Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
People posit several reasons, namely that tech magnates are interested in supporting other issues like health care and that Hollywood moguls are more skittish about parting with their fortunes, given their firsthand experience with the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.
—Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Keep your dog close to the end of the strip, to avoid out-of-range flushes from skittish birds that were running ahead.
—Outdoor Life, 18 Oct. 2023
Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh franchise (1926–present) Sidekick to: Winnie-the-Pooh Piglet is timid, skittish, and self-conscious; Pooh is oblivious, adventurous, and rumbly-in-my-tumbly goofy.
—Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And at a skittish time for Wall Street, consider Apollo, where shares are up about 20% year-to-date, or KKR is up about 17% in that period (as of 4:30 PM PT yesterday).
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Headwinds from the struggling commercial real estate sector, stubbornly high interest rates that have led to unrealized losses, and the threat of skittish depositors after the rapid collapse of several regional lenders last March have led some experts to warn that more bank failures are inevitable.
—Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024
Moments of ambient bliss gave way to dark, skittish, low-end patterns, while the percussive sounds of steam, passing subway trains and, appropriately, waves further deepened the transportive effects.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 3 Mar. 2024
While the Republican base may be smitten with Trump, plenty of big-money donors are skittish about bankrolling his nonsense.
—Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
People posit several reasons, namely that tech magnates are interested in supporting other issues like health care and that Hollywood moguls are more skittish about parting with their fortunes, given their firsthand experience with the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.
—Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Keep your dog close to the end of the strip, to avoid out-of-range flushes from skittish birds that were running ahead.
—Outdoor Life, 18 Oct. 2023
Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh franchise (1926–present) Sidekick to: Winnie-the-Pooh Piglet is timid, skittish, and self-conscious; Pooh is oblivious, adventurous, and rumbly-in-my-tumbly goofy.
—Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And at a skittish time for Wall Street, consider Apollo, where shares are up about 20% year-to-date, or KKR is up about 17% in that period (as of 4:30 PM PT yesterday).
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skittish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near skittish
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skittish. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share