jumpy

[juhm-pee]

adjective

jumpier, jumpiest 

1. subject to sudden, involuntary starts, especially from nervousness, fear, excitement, etc.

   Synonyms: fidgety, skittish, jittery

2. characterized by sudden starts, jerks, or jumps.

   a jumpy narrative.

jumpy

/ ˈdʒʌmpɪ /

adjective

1. nervous or apprehensive

2. moving jerkily or fitfully

Other Word Forms

• jumpily adverb
• jumpiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jumpy¹

First recorded in 1865–70; jump + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The absence of economic data until the end of the week is likely to make investors jumpy about earnings.

Read more on Barron's

It’s perhaps no surprise that markets are jumpy amid a government shutdown that is delaying data releases and with the world’s two largest economies threatening a trade war.

Read more on Barron's

This summer, in fact, unmusical jumpy video is at all times disconcerting.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“Cordially” is a little too jumpy for its own good, but its discursive heart is in the right place for these grievous times.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Wales hadn't done with the jumpy Scots, though.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• apprehensive 
• creepy 
• excitable 
• fidgety 
• frisky 
• high-strung 
• jittery 
• restless 
• shaky 
• skittish 
• spooked www.thesaurus.com