skittish
Americanadjective
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apt to start or shy.
a skittish horse.
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restlessly or excessively lively.
a skittish mood.
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fickle; uncertain.
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shy; coy.
adjective
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playful, lively, or frivolous
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difficult to handle or predict
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rare coy
Other Word Forms
- skittishly adverb
- skittishness noun
Etymology
Origin of skittish
1375–1425; late Middle English, perhaps derivative of the Scand source of skite 1; -ish 1
Explanation
If you're skittish, you're unpredictable and excitable. You've probably seen skittish horses in parades — the loud noises and crowds of people make them very nervous and jumpy. The adjective skittish isn't just for animals — humans can be skittish too. If you're sleeping in a haunted house, for example, you're likely to be skittish, jumping at every moving shadow. Skittish can also mean flighty in thought — like your boss who's skittish about giving you a raise and avoids discussing it. The word is thought to have come from the Scandinavian word skyt, meaning "very lively, frivolous."
Vocabulary lists containing skittish
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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 Carrillo-Wicks bill is meant to push developers who are interested in off-site construction but skittish about its financial viability.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
Banks may be damned by skittish investors if they do engage with private credit, and damned if they don’t.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
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
The robot’s voice was simply too much for the skittish creatures.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
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.
