skittish

[skit-ish] / ˈskɪt ɪʃ /

ADJECTIVE

very nervous

Synonyms

STRONGEST

edgy excited fearful fickle giddy jumpy restive

WEAK

agitable alarmable capricious changeable combustible dizzy excitable fidgety flighty frivolous harebrained high-strung irresponsible lightheaded lively peppy playful scatterbrained sensitive spirited undependable unreliable volative whimsical zippy

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm collected composed easygoing laid-back

WEAK

unworried

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

ABC as a broadcast network is held to higher standard than it's streaming partner Hulu due to oversight by the federal regulator and advertisers, who may be skittish when it comes to racy programming.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Stories of job loss abound within the US Haitian diaspora as some employers become skittish over the uncertainty surrounding TPS.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

Tech firms’ ambitious plans for blowout spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure had already been making some investors skittish over the past couple of months.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Airlines lost booking momentum when some customers turned skittish and made other plans ahead of Thanksgiving holiday as the shutdown ground on.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026

The chickens were fidgety, the cows were skittish, and the pigs were sullen and glum.

From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech

Vocabulary lists containing skittish

The Vocabulary.com Top 1000

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Touching Spirit Bear

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

The Things They Carried

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!