1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature
the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened
the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in volatile
likely to change frequently, suddenly, or unexpectedly
a skittish housing market had both buyers and sellers on edge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skittish
The filmmaker shows a strong handle over the film’s fanciful tone and fitfully filthy sense of humor, and he’s credited with composing the film’s score full of squawking brass instruments and skittish strings in addition to writing, directing and editing.
—
Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Investors have become skittish and are looking for value.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Dolphins fans are so skittish about quarterback decisions by now the common sentiment is to let seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers compete with similar, low-cost names this year, lose a lot of games and draft one next spring.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
In any major conflict, the classic investor reaction is to bid up defense stocks like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman while selling off airlines, hotels, cruise operators and others that might suffer as regional travel is curbed and skittish travelers stay home.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
Investors have become skittish and are looking for value.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Dolphins fans are so skittish about quarterback decisions by now the common sentiment is to let seventh-rounder Quinn Ewers compete with similar, low-cost names this year, lose a lot of games and draft one next spring.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2026
In any major conflict, the classic investor reaction is to bid up defense stocks like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman while selling off airlines, hotels, cruise operators and others that might suffer as regional travel is curbed and skittish travelers stay home.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
Adjective
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An unexpected collaboration opportunity is very possible under today’s trine between excitable Mars and erratic Uranus.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
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At the Ricardo residence in the ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy, over-the-top housewife Lucy and Ricky, her excitable husband, were always getting into some sort of entertaining hijinks.—
Michael Gioia,
Architectural Digest,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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One of the earliest of American masculinity influencers was President Theodore Roosevelt, who touted his own transformation from a timid, effeminate man – local presses mocked him in his early career – to a rugged outdoorsman.—
Miriam Eve Mora,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2026
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Sergio Romano and Pierpaolo Capovilla star as two fifty-something men from Italy’s northern Veneto area who befriend a timid student from Naples, played by Filippo Scotti.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
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The story centers on a young couple (Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny) whose lives become entangled with their volatile boss and his wife (Isaac and Carey Mulligan) after witnessing a disturbing incident at an elite country club.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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This project made Cooper nervous for several reasons.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
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The players looked worked up at times and the fans are nervous.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His practice hinges on improvisation, resulting in blunt, expressive, and unpredictable work.—
Maxie Younger,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
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Baby Reindeer was hardly a laugh riot, but mortifying humor is still humor and, with episodic running times in the 30-minute range, the show had a charging, unpredictable momentum.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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