1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature
the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened
the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skittish
The executives were a little skittish at the prospect of a show that specifically aimed to terrify children and opted to pass.
—
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Jack is outside with the horses, who are suddenly and inexplicably skittish — and in a flash, Jake figures out why.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025
Selling infrastructure to the panopticon was not a safe play, and investors were skittish.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
The wildlife, of course, is less skittish with fewer people around; plus, animals are raring to go after emerging from their winter slowdowns.
—Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Jack is outside with the horses, who are suddenly and inexplicably skittish — and in a flash, Jake figures out why.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 23 Feb. 2025
Selling infrastructure to the panopticon was not a safe play, and investors were skittish.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
The wildlife, of course, is less skittish with fewer people around; plus, animals are raring to go after emerging from their winter slowdowns.
—Tanvi Chheda, AFAR Media, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
Adjective
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Charlotte leaned in next to her little brother only for excitable Louis to suddenly turn, accidentally leading to a clash of heads.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Star is probably the most excitable person in the history of the show.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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To say that does not trivialize the Holocaust, as some timid folk insist.—
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2025
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In middle age, Didi has also become timid after being let down too much by others.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In Haiti, there hasn’t been a general election in nearly a decade; more than a million have been displaced by armed gang violence and the country’s volatile capital is on the verge of collapse.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2025
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Super Micro shares have been on a volatile run this year.—
Pia Singh,
CNBC,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Dogs might feel scared and nervous or have separation anxiety while home alone.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
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If people are scared and nervous, that in and of itself is harm.—
Stephen Daw,
Billboard,
26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The woman, fearful of the threat that the FBI would arrest her, prosecutors say, followed the instructions and liquidated hundreds of thousands of dollars from her retirement savings to buy gold bars and then handed the bars over to the bagmen.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
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Related article Putin just called Trump’s bluff on Ukraine, with the Russian art of the ‘no’ deal Indeed, Russia has for years been moving its official funds out of the US, apparently fearful of repercussions over its aggressions in Ukraine and Georgia.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Of course, politics is unpredictable, and his message could, in theory, have more resonance with Democratic primary voters this time around.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
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Towards the end of the first decade of the century, the Nike Total 90 range was incredibly unpredictable in the air.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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