1
a
: lively or frisky in action : capricious
b
2
: easily frightened : restive
a skittish horse
skittishly
adverb
skittishness
noun
Synonyms
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
While the Republican base may be smitten with Trump, plenty of big-money donors are skittish about bankrolling his nonsense.
—
Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
People posit several reasons, namely that tech magnates are interested in supporting other issues like health care and that Hollywood moguls are more skittish about parting with their fortunes, given their firsthand experience with the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.
—Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Keep your dog close to the end of the strip, to avoid out-of-range flushes from skittish birds that were running ahead.
—Outdoor Life, 18 Oct. 2023
Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh franchise (1926–present) Sidekick to: Winnie-the-Pooh Piglet is timid, skittish, and self-conscious; Pooh is oblivious, adventurous, and rumbly-in-my-tumbly goofy.
—Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And at a skittish time for Wall Street, consider Apollo, where shares are up about 20% year-to-date, or KKR is up about 17% in that period (as of 4:30 PM PT yesterday).
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
The withdrawal of deposits was what doomed Silicon Valley Bank last year, when skittish wealthy depositors pulled their money out in the modern-day equivalent of a bank run.
—Ken Sweet, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
His play looked even more skittish when contrasted with Mahomes’ cool efficiency under fire.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2024
From reluctant friends to decades-long lovers, skittish survivalist Bill (Offerman) and extroverted nomad Frank (Bartlett) saved each other before choosing not to live without each other.
—Lanford Beard, Peoplemag, 7 Jan. 2024
Michelle Cottle, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
People posit several reasons, namely that tech magnates are interested in supporting other issues like health care and that Hollywood moguls are more skittish about parting with their fortunes, given their firsthand experience with the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.
—Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Keep your dog close to the end of the strip, to avoid out-of-range flushes from skittish birds that were running ahead.
—Outdoor Life, 18 Oct. 2023
Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh franchise (1926–present) Sidekick to: Winnie-the-Pooh Piglet is timid, skittish, and self-conscious; Pooh is oblivious, adventurous, and rumbly-in-my-tumbly goofy.
—Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024
And at a skittish time for Wall Street, consider Apollo, where shares are up about 20% year-to-date, or KKR is up about 17% in that period (as of 4:30 PM PT yesterday).
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024
The withdrawal of deposits was what doomed Silicon Valley Bank last year, when skittish wealthy depositors pulled their money out in the modern-day equivalent of a bank run.
—Ken Sweet, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024
His play looked even more skittish when contrasted with Mahomes’ cool efficiency under fire.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2024
From reluctant friends to decades-long lovers, skittish survivalist Bill (Offerman) and extroverted nomad Frank (Bartlett) saved each other before choosing not to live without each other.
—Lanford Beard, Peoplemag, 7 Jan. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near skittish
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skittish. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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