skittish

adjective skit·tish \ ˈski-tish \

|Updated on: 22 Jun 2018

Examples: skittish in a Sentence

Definition of skittish

1 a : lively or frisky in action : capricious

b : variable, fluctuating

2 : easily frightened : restive

a skittish horse

3 a : coy, bashful

b : marked by extreme caution : wary

skittish investors

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skittishly

adverb

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skittishness

noun

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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 of skittish from the Web

This likely means exchanges like Coinbase will stay skittish about adding XRP for now.

— jeff john roberts, Fortune, "The SEC's Big Cryptocurrency Speech: 5 Things to Know," 15 June 2018
Argentina’s central bank had eased its inflation targets and cut rates; skittish investors saw a lack of resolve.

— The Economist, "How to play Argentina," 14 June 2018
The level of outrage about Pruitt -- even in a Republican Party where members are skittish about crossing their President -- is palpable.

— lauren fox, CNN, "Anxiety about EPA administrator under fire, but little action on Capitol Hill," 7 June 2018
People who are skittish about border security — including, notably, the president of the United States — don’t make distinctions between people entering to seek asylum at ports of entry and people crossing illegally.

— dara lind, Vox, "Trump keeps making it harder for people to seek asylum legally," 5 June 2018
That status had kept Márquez off Mexico’s national team for most of the past year, and the team’s sponsors are clearly skittish about appearing to do business with him.

— kevin draper, New York Times, "Mexico Taking Rafael Márquez to World Cup, but Cloud May Follow Him," 4 June 2018
At other times, the public wasn't allowed in the courtroom, like when a judge let a skittish witness testify behind closed doors without revealing that the person in question was Arias.

— amy lieu, Fox News, "Jodi Arias request for court secrecy denied by Arizona court," 1 June 2018
The Milwaukee Zoo's newest resident scampered about like a skittish colt Tuesday afternoon in front of smartphones held high to capture all 6 feet, 1 inch of adorableness.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Zoo's latest resident is 6 feet, 1 inch of adorableness," 22 May 2018
Faced with unpaid vendors, angry investors, and skittish bankers, Garces is said to be considering filing for bankruptcy protection for the companies that control at least some of his restaurants.

— michael klein, Philly.com, "Jose Garces, a chef inside a financial pressure cooker," 27 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skittish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.