jittery

[jit-uh-ree]

See more synonyms for jittery on Thesaurus.com

adjective, jit·ter·i·er, jit·ter·i·est.

extremely tense and nervous; jumpy: He's very jittery about the medical checkup.

Origin of jittery

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; jitter + -y¹

Related formsjit·ter·i·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for jittery

Contemporary Examples

He slowed down the action at times for effect; he jolted the camera to mimic the jittery imperfection of a documentary.
WWII Lies of Hollywood's Greats
Caryn James
February 22, 2014
The learning curve for U.S. presidents can make for jittery moments.
Why China Hates U.S. Presidential Elections
Melinda Liu
October 24, 2012
Well, Republicans want to make Democrats fearful and jittery and reactive—appear to be accepting the Republican premise.
Reality Vs. 'Reality'
Michael Tomasky
October 23, 2012
See how he gets all nervous and jittery, and then this stuff just tumbles out of his mouth?
The Israel Leg: Not a Disaster, But Not Good
Michael Tomasky
July 31, 2012
Jittery city dwellers want the reassurance of firm leadership.
Cameron Gets Tough
William Underhill
August 10, 2011

Historical Examples

But she was jittery as an old hen and it weren't like her nohow.
Year of the Big Thaw
Marion Zimmer Bradley
You see, it sort of riled me—I warn't used to the ways of Jittery swells.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete
Albert Bigelow Paine
Mrs. RVS started to get jittery at about ten mps away from home, and above fifteen, she was trembling steadily.
Slingshot
Irving W. Lande
Since the Skye excitement everyone is inclined to be jittery and nerves are stretched tightly.
Greener Than You Think
Ward Moore
And I'll admit that I was as jittery as a hen on a hot stove until we got this Fortress off the ground, and into the air.
Dave Dawson at Truk
Robert Sydney Bowen

British Dictionary definitions for jittery

jittery

adjective

informal nervous and anxious

Derived Formsjitteriness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jittery

adj.

1931, American English, from jitter + -y (2). Related: Jitteriness.

jittery

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}jittery

Examples from the Web for jittery

Contemporary Examples

He slowed down the action at times for effect; he jolted the camera to mimic the jittery imperfection of a documentary.

The learning curve for U.S. presidents can make for jittery moments.

Well, Republicans want to make Democrats fearful and jittery and reactive—appear to be accepting the Republican premise.

See how he gets all nervous and jittery, and then this stuff just tumbles out of his mouth?

Jittery city dwellers want the reassurance of firm leadership.

Historical Examples

But she was jittery as an old hen and it weren't like her nohow.

You see, it sort of riled me—I warn't used to the ways of Jittery swells.

Mrs. RVS started to get jittery at about ten mps away from home, and above fifteen, she was trembling steadily.

Since the Skye excitement everyone is inclined to be jittery and nerves are stretched tightly.

And I'll admit that I was as jittery as a hen on a hot stove until we got this Fortress off the ground, and into the air.

jittery

Word Origin and History for jittery

adj.

Origin of jittery