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
Cali, though, got skittish once the judge approached her.
—
Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2025
In addition to voicing the Madagascar franchise’s skittish giraffe Melvin, he’s appeared in John Carter (2012) and The Laundromat (2019), and currently stars in Goosebumps (2025–present).
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2025
Mountain ranges are graveyards of ghost areas, abandoned by skittish investors or undone by the fickleness of weather gods.
—John Branch, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Movies such as 2015’s Crimson Peak ($31M domestic) and 2021’s Nightmare Alley ($11.3M) have struggled in finding theatrical crowds, the latter title largely a victim of skittish arthouse moviegoers during Covid, in addition to Spider-Man: No Way Home taking all the oxygen out the marketplace.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for skittish 
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Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2025
In addition to voicing the Madagascar franchise’s skittish giraffe Melvin, he’s appeared in John Carter (2012) and The Laundromat (2019), and currently stars in Goosebumps (2025–present).
—Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2025
Mountain ranges are graveyards of ghost areas, abandoned by skittish investors or undone by the fickleness of weather gods.
—John Branch, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Movies such as 2015’s Crimson Peak ($31M domestic) and 2021’s Nightmare Alley ($11.3M) have struggled in finding theatrical crowds, the latter title largely a victim of skittish arthouse moviegoers during Covid, in addition to Spider-Man: No Way Home taking all the oxygen out the marketplace.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for skittish
Dictionary Entries Near skittish
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skittish. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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