jittery

adjective

jit·​tery ˈji-tə-rē 

1

: suffering from the jitters

2

: marked by jittering movements

jitteriness

ˈji-tə-rē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• excitable
• fiddle-footed
• flighty
• fluttery
• high-strung
• hyper
• hyperactive
• hyperexcitable
• hyperkinetic
• jumpy
• nervous
• skittery
• skittish
• spasmodic
• spooky

Example Sentences

I always get jittery when I have to give a speech.

The latest economic news has made some investors jittery.

Recent Examples on the Web

Peli Motto Tatooine's quirkiest space mechanic is also its coolest, with a bunch of jittery repair droids and tons of warm personality. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 May 2023

Worried that jittery depositors will withdraw their money, banks are likely to reduce lending to conserve cash. —Compiled By Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 6 May 2023

The three banks — Silicon Valley Bank, Signature, and First Republic — all had particularly jittery customers with high levels of uninsured funds (read: balances above the $250,000 limit set by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation). —Allison Morrow, CNN, 1 May 2023

An already jittery market started to spiral in January when Tesla, the American company that makes electric vehicles in Shanghai, lowered prices in China for the second time in three months. —Daisuke Wakabayashi, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2023

The failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month exposed weaknesses in the system, including too many uninsured deposits at some institutions and the propensity of jittery depositors to transfer money at the drop of a hat. —Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 16 Apr. 2023

Now there’s a banking crisis on his watch as president, and Biden is moving aggressively to assure the public that it is contained, bank executives will be fired, deposits are safe and taxpayers aren’t on the hook — measures also designed to calm jittery financial markets. —Seung Min Kim, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2023

There were official signals Friday that the new army chief would be named by early next week after Shehbaz formally chooses among the final candidates, an apparent effort to reassure a jittery public that the transition would be smooth. —Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2022

As the stock skid worsened and jittery depositors pulled their money, Swiss government officials hastily orchestrated a $3.25 billion takeover by UBS two weekends ago. —Jamey Keaten, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1