skittish

[skit-ish]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR skittish ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

apt to start or shy: a skittish horse.

restlessly or excessively lively: a skittish mood.

fickle; uncertain.

shy; coy.

Nearby words

Origin of skittish

1375–1425; late Middle English, perhaps derivative of the Scand source of skite¹; see -ish¹

Related formsskit·tish·ly, adverbskit·tish·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skittish

In the Senate, Republicans are skittish about border security (among other issues, but mainly border security).
Today’s GOP vs. Tomorrow’s GOP on Immigration|Michael Tomasky|June 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Banks were just too skittish to loan out their new reserves.
Why Wall Street Traders Are Bullish on Obama|Alex Klein|September 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
VIRGO As skittish as you can be, you tap into a new confidence and ease now.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week|Starsky + Cox|July 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Without the support of Republicans who ran on no-new-taxes pledges, Boehner would have to woo Democrats skittish of Medicare cuts.
8 Great Opinion Pieces on the Debt Crisis|Josh Dzieza|July 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST

If ever he's brattish, And brutish and skittish, He's Scottish.
Wimbledon's Poet Laureate|Olivia Cole|July 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Did not even the spotted and skittish horses which drew the chariot repeatedly turn round to gaze upon his vermilioned features?
The Black Poodle|F. Anstey
He was crying terribly, and I supposed the lambs were skittish and would not be guided.
Library Of The World's Best Literature, Ancient And Modern, Vol 6|Various
After the slow dignified drives I am taking almost every day, I wonder how her skittish, affected ways will seem to me!
Army Letters from an Officer's Wife, 1871-1888|Frances M.A. Roe
"Skittish devil," remarked the landlord, as the colt quivered under the hand he laid upon him.
A Modern Instance|William Dean Howells
Edna would get fat and rosy, and you and Mrs Freer would be quite young and skittish by the time you got home!
Sisters Three|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

British Dictionary definitions for skittish

skittish

adjective

playful, lively, or frivolous

difficult to handle or predict

rare coy

Derived Formsskittishly, adverbskittishness, noun

Word Origin for skittish

C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse skjōta to shoot; see -ish

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 skittish

skittish

adj.

early 15c., "very lively, frivolous," perhaps from Scandinavian base *skyt- (stem of Old Norse skjota "to shoot, launch, move quickly"), from PIE root *skeud- "to shoot, to chase, to throw, to project" (see shoot (v.)). Sense of "shy, nervous, apt to run" first recorded c.1500, of horses. Related: Skittishly; skittishness.