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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skittish
But the knee-jerk move higher highlights that traders are suddenly skittish about inflation.
—
John Towfighi, CNN Money, 4 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
On April 25, 2025, the dog was allegedly scared, skittish couldn’t walk.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
He was extremely attached to her and quickly became very attached to me, yet is skittish and fearful of other people, including my family.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skittish
John Towfighi, CNN Money, 4 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
On April 25, 2025, the dog was allegedly scared, skittish couldn’t walk.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
He was extremely attached to her and quickly became very attached to me, yet is skittish and fearful of other people, including my family.
—Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
Adjective
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Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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Lego Galaxy hopes to draw visitors — and perhaps new audiences — by focusing on slicker, more modern technology and injecting in the park the sort of excitable ride more commonly found at Legoland’s Southern California competitors.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Their smaller counterparts, alpacas, are more timid and shy, but the more independent ones that aren't afraid to be away from the herd do well as therapy animals.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
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Jerusalem, timid about the prospect of a land invasion, can only respond with more airstrikes until the regime hits its breaking point and the people rise up.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The comparison isn't perfect — stock data spans decades, while trends in trading card values are shorter and more volatile — but the outperformance in certain windows is still striking.—
Brandon Gomez,
CNBC,
29 Mar. 2026
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These volatile, double-digit voting shifts directly contrast more stable voting patterns among other major demographic groups, including the Black and white electorates, where shifts from cycle to cycle tend to be just a few points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Who isn’t nervous meeting the prospective in-laws for the first time?—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
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Jason Bateman delivers the mundane analogy like a pro, blending sincerity and uncertainty inside his singular, nervous vocal rhythms.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Prices are subject to rapid, unpredictable changes due to factors like, but not limited to, supply/demand, weather, and geopolitical events.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Air travelers are paying the price of the shutdown with unpredictable, snaking TSA lines at airports across the country, jeopardizing their chances to pass through security on time for their flights.—
Graham Hurley,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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