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
Etymology
Origin of skittish
1375–1425; late Middle English, perhaps derivative of the Scand source of skite 1; see -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.
While it has managed to move barrels out of the Persian Gulf and send tankers to a transfer hub off the coast of Malaysia, global buyers remained skittish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Jordan Pickford's form at this World Cup so far has been skittish, but he gave the finest performance of his England career when it mattered.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
A new wave of turbulence swept up U.S. stocks on Tuesday as options traders grew more skittish about the year’s big winners of the rally: megacap tech and artificial intelligence stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
“It’s known that in an environment where investors get a little bit more skittish, like today, you won’t see huge amounts of outflows.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Lovey visited her friend as well, but the young girl was not immune to Hob’s reputation and got skittish in the presence of Nag and Mary and the others.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
