skittish

adjective

skit·​tish ˈski-tish How to pronounce skittish (audio)
1
a
: lively or frisky in action : capricious
2
: easily frightened : restive
a skittish horse
3
a
b
: marked by extreme caution : wary
skittish investors
skittishly adverb
skittishness noun

Examples of skittish in a Sentence

We've been skittish about taking on such a large mortgage. the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Recent Examples on the Web But skittish investors are now concerned about the outlook for a bellwether banking stock, along with broader concerns about slowing U.S. economic growth. Hugh Son, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2024 Wall Street’s fear gauge, the VIX, rose, and the broader market also tumbled: The Nasdaq Composite ended the day with a loss of 3.3% as tech investors became skittish over AI darling Nvidia’s 9% plunge. Lucy Bayly, CNN, 3 Sep. 2024 The two tried to get out as quickly as possible, but their skittish cat, CatMandu, was zooming around their Paradise home. Evan Bush, NBC News, 11 Aug. 2024 Yet the proposition that the United States should risk getting enmeshed in a war on Russia’s doorstep to soothe its skittish NATO states makes no sense. Rajan Menon, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2017 See all Example Sentences for skittish 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skittish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from skit- (probably from Old Norse skyt-) + -ish

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of skittish was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near skittish

Cite this Entry

“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skittish. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

skittish

adjective
skit·​tish ˈskit-ish How to pronounce skittish (audio)
1
: lively or frisky in action
2
: easily frightened : restive
a skittish horse
3
skittishly adverb
skittishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on skittish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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