jittery
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of jittery
Explanation
Jittery can describe jerky or nervous actions. If you consume a lot of caffeine, you might appear jittery. If a running back is darting around quickly and unpredictably, making herky-jerky movements, he's jittery. Also, jittery applies to people who feel nervous or tense. If you're worried about a test, you'll feel jittery. During the last minute of a basketball game, some players get jittery. Synonyms for this nervous kind of jittery are edgy, high-strung, jumpy, nervy, and uptight.
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.
The result: Inflation in May could come in below expectations, which would come as a relief to jittery investors.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
He’s raced to find ivory shoes for a forgetful groomsman and led a prayer to calm a jittery future husband.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said while the holiday and airline industry "is at pains to stress there are no current fuel shortages....consumers are getting jittery".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, oil prices have inched higher, and some investors are still understandably jittery.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
I’m jittery when we pull into our driveway.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
