skittish
adjective
skit·tish ˈski-tish 
1
a
: lively or frisky in action : capricious
b
: variable, fluctuating
2
: easily frightened : restive
a skittish horse
3
a
: coy, bashful
b
: marked by extreme caution : wary
skittish investors
skittishly adverb
skittishness noun
Synonyms
- excitable
- fiddle-footed
- flighty
- fluttery
- high-strung
- hyper
- hyperactive
- hyperexcitable
- hyperkinetic
- jittery
- jumpy
- nervous
- skittery
- spasmodic
- spooky
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
We've been skittish about taking on such a large mortgage. the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Recent Examples on the Web While shy and skittish at first, Nebelungs are quick to warm up to family members and love playtime. 
Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 6 Sep. 2022 But that’s a nonstarter for schools skittish about losing donations. Melissa Korn, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 Squirrels are resourceful, humorous, scary, quizzical, territorial and skittish. Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022 Privacy changes from Apple have affected its advertising business, and rising inflation and economic uncertainty have made advertisers skittish. Kalley Huang, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2022 Thousands of people showed up for this year’s parade — organizers had expected a large crowd — even as many New Yorkers remain skittish about massive, potentially virus-spreading public events. Bobby Caina Calvan, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Mar. 2022 Yet Democrats remain skittish to promote these programs in what seems to be a strange side effect of the party’s refusal to fully embrace progressivism. Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 30 Nov. 2021 Investors get more reluctant to invest and consumers get more skittish about spending. Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 Despite a recent spate of clearances for digital therapeutics, there are signs that the FDA may still be somewhat skittish about an app to treat suicidality. Mario Aguilar, STAT, 28 July 2022 See More
Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 6 Sep. 2022 But that’s a nonstarter for schools skittish about losing donations. Melissa Korn, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 Squirrels are resourceful, humorous, scary, quizzical, territorial and skittish. Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022 Privacy changes from Apple have affected its advertising business, and rising inflation and economic uncertainty have made advertisers skittish. Kalley Huang, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2022 Thousands of people showed up for this year’s parade — organizers had expected a large crowd — even as many New Yorkers remain skittish about massive, potentially virus-spreading public events. Bobby Caina Calvan, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Mar. 2022 Yet Democrats remain skittish to promote these programs in what seems to be a strange side effect of the party’s refusal to fully embrace progressivism. Jasper Craven, The New Republic, 30 Nov. 2021 Investors get more reluctant to invest and consumers get more skittish about spending. Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes, 1 Aug. 2022 Despite a recent spate of clearances for digital therapeutics, there are signs that the FDA may still be somewhat skittish about an app to treat suicidality. Mario Aguilar, STAT, 28 July 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from skit- (probably from Old Norse skyt-) + -ish
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
skittish
adjective
skit·tish ˈski-tish
: easily frightened
a skittish horse
skittish
adjective
1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature the skittish colt leapt up when we approached Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- excitable
- nervous
- skittery
- volatile
- anxious
- hyper
- jumpy
- jittery
- unstable
- flighty
- hyperkinetic
- hyperactive
- fluttery
- high-strung
- emotional
- spasmodic
- irritable
- sensitive
- spooky
- hyperexcitable
- intense
- mercurial
- fiddle-footed
- temperamental
- uptight
- soulful
- volcanic
- hypersensitive
- tense
- nervy
- testy
- irascible
- edgy
- hot-blooded
- histrionic
- dramatic
- touchy
- melodramatic
- emotionalistic
- flibbertigibbety
- prickly
- perturbable
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unflappable
- imperturbable
- nerveless
- calm
- unshakable
- unexcitable
- serene
- collected
- easygoing
- tranquil
- cool
- relaxed
- easy
- laid-back
2
as in timid
easily frightened the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know Synonyms & Similar Words
- timid
- fearful
- shy
- scary
- scared
- timorous
- afraid
- terrified
- mousy
- panicked
- yellow
- startled
- mousey
- spooked
- tremulous
- anxious
- fainthearted
- nervous
- jumpy
- craven
- fearsome
- jittery
- apprehensive
- alarmed
- cowardly
- chicken
- panicky
- pusillanimous
- poltroon
- gutless
- chickenhearted
- spineless
- lily-livered
- unnerved
- dastardly
- spooky
- unheroic
- horrified
- terrorized
- panic-stricken
- milk-livered
- shocked
- chicken-livered
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- adventurous
- daring
- hardy
- brave
- adventuresome
- venturesome
- bold
- confident
- gutsy
- dashing
- intrepid
- fearless
- venturous
- courageous
- audacious
- gallant
- valiant
- heroic
- stout
- stalwart
- undaunted
- stouthearted
- assured
- dauntless
- valorous
- resolute
- heroical
- plucky
- lionhearted
- determined
- firm
- spirited
- undeterred
- self-assured
- doughty
- unflinching
- spunky
- unswerving
- game
- self-confident
- mettlesome
- greathearted
3
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly a skittish housing market had both buyers and sellers on edge Synonyms & Similar Words
- volatile
- unpredictable
- unstable
- uncertain
- inconsistent
- unsettled
- changeful
- mercurial
- fickle
- temperamental
- variable
- fluctuating
- capricious
- erratic
- unsteady
- inconstant
- mutable
- fluid
- changeable
- scattered
- shaky
- wavering
- flickery
- stray
- unreliable
- ambivalent
- hesitating
- random
- aimless
- vacillating
- haphazard
- slapdash
- desultory
- untrustworthy
- dicey
- undependable
- up in the air
- arbitrary
- protean
- irregular
- hit-or-miss
- mobile
- adaptable
- shilly-shallying
- versatile
- shilly-shally
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- certain
- stable
- predictable
- constant
- steady
- even
- stationary
- settled
- invariable
- unchanging
- persistent
- immutable
- changeless
- unvarying
- unchangeable
- uniform
- sure
- equable
- permanent
- abiding
- dependable
- reliable
- durable
- trustworthy
- lasting
- trusty
- true
- tried
- tried-and-true
- platinise
- platinised
- platinises
- platinising
- platinite
- platinizations
- platinize
- platinized
- platinizes
- platinizing
- platino-
- platinochloride
- platinocyanide
- platinocyanides
- platinoid
- platinoids
- platinotype
- platinotypes
- platinous acid
- platinum
- platinum black
- platinum blonde
- platinum metal
- platinum paper
- platinum process