Synonyms of skittish

skittish

adjective

ˈski-tish 

1

as in excitable

easily excited by nature

the skittish colt leapt up when we approached

Synonyms & Similar Words

• excitable
• nervous
• volatile
• anxious
• unstable
• skittery
• hyper
• jumpy
• jittery
• high-strung
• hyperkinetic
• flighty
• hyperactive
• emotional
• fluttery
• spasmodic
• sensitive
• spooky
• hyperexcitable
• irritable
• intense
• fiddle-footed
• mercurial
• volcanic
• temperamental
• soulful
• uptight
• tense
• hot-blooded
• hypersensitive
• nervy
• edgy
• testy
• irascible
• dramatic
• histrionic
• melodramatic
• touchy
• emotionalistic
• flibbertigibbety
• perturbable
• prickly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unflappable
• imperturbable
• nerveless
• unshakable
• calm
• collected
• serene
• cool
• tranquil
• unexcitable
• easy
• easygoing
• relaxed
• laid-back

2

as in timid

easily frightened

the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know

Synonyms & Similar Words

• timid
• fearful
• shy
• scary
• timorous
• scared
• mousy
• terrified
• afraid
• panicked
• tremulous
• fainthearted
• yellow
• fearsome
• startled
• craven
• cowardly
• spooked
• jumpy
• jittery
• apprehensive
• pusillanimous
• anxious
• nervous
• gutless
• panicky
• spineless
• dastardly
• chicken
• unheroic
• alarmed
• chickenhearted
• spooky
• lily-livered
• poltroon
• milk-livered
• unnerved
• chicken-livered
• horrified
• panic-stricken
• shocked
• terrorized

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• daring
• adventurous
• hardy
• bold
• brave
• fearless
• venturesome
• confident
• gutsy
• courageous
• dashing
• audacious
• intrepid
• heroic
• gallant
• valiant
• stout
• undaunted
• adventuresome
• stalwart
• dauntless
• venturous
• valorous
• assured
• resolute
• firm
• determined
• plucky
• stouthearted
• spirited
• lionhearted
• undeterred
• unswerving
• unflinching
• game
• doughty
• self-assured
• spunky
• self-confident
• greathearted
• mettlesome

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

• volatile
• unpredictable
• unstable
• uncertain
• inconsistent
• changeful
• unsettled
• mercurial
• fickle
• temperamental
• variable
• capricious
• fluctuating
• unsteady
• inconstant
• erratic
• mutable
• changeable
• fluid
• shaky
• up in the air
• scattered
• stray
• flickery
• unreliable
• random
• ambivalent
• aimless
• haphazard
• desultory
• untrustworthy
• wavering
• arbitrary
• dicey
• undependable
• hesitating
• slapdash
• hit-or-miss
• vacillating
• protean
• mobile
• irregular
• adaptable
• shilly-shallying
• versatile
• shilly-shally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• certain
• stable
• constant
• predictable
• steady
• stationary
• settled
• even
• invariable
• unchanging
• immutable
• persistent
• uniform
• unchangeable
• permanent
• sure
• changeless
• durable
• unvarying
• abiding
• reliable
• dependable
• lasting
• trustworthy
• equable
• true
• trusty
• tried
• tried-and-true

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of skittish

When the rescue started, 20 horses were too skittish to let rescuers approach, the organization said. — Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026

Fatima has reason to be skittish. — Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026

But the White House’s mixed messages on tariffs has made farmers skittish, and the resurgence of a parasite that eats their animals alive may only make things worse. — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

Deer are fairly skittish and sudden movements, noises, or lights tend to frighten them off. — Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 4 June 2026