jumpier; jumpiest
1
2
: characterized by jumps or sudden variations
jumpiness noun

Examples of jumpy in a Sentence

trying to calm jumpy passengers flight attendants had to calm jumpy passengers after the plane hit unexpected turbulence
Recent Examples on the Web In their stead are jumpy Israeli soldiers clumped together on various street corners. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023 In the Vanity Fair story, Lee is portrayed as calm and collected compared to the more jumpy Prugo. Vulture, 2 Oct. 2023 And if one of his livestock dogs get out, will a jumpy officer shoot it? Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2023 Investors seem less jumpy about a recession, however. Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 25 July 2023 Such people may be jumpy, irritable, violent, trigger-happy, drugged out, avoidant, defeated, morose, or self-harming, for reasons that no one can recall. George Makari, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023 But early comments from staffers who drove this brand-new vehicle elicited very un-BMW-like, one-word adjectives—such as jerky, jumpy, and jiggly. Steven Cole Smith, Car and Driver, 6 July 2023 Rohrwacher injects silent comedy notes by using jumpy fast-motion in scenes with the grave-robbers being chased by carabinieri and inverts frames to alter our perspective. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 May 2023 Highlights include jumpy obstacle course, face painting, inflatable Skee ball, snow cones, hot dogs and hamburgers. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of jumpy was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near jumpy

Cite this Entry

“Jumpy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jumpy. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

jumpy

adjective
jumpier; jumpiest
: nervous sense 2a, jittery
after a long restless night, the soldiers were jumpy
jumpiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on jumpy

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