1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature
the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened
the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skittish
During his recent travels, Beehler encountered skittish whimbrels in Churchill and deliberately foraging whimbrels in Alaska.
—
Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Cats in particular, with their solitary and skittish ways, can also teach them patience.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Investors are skittish, and animation, with its long timelines and high upfront costs, needs predictable ground to thrive.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 10 May 2025
Plus, if skittish tourists book fewer rooms in the existing Hampton Inn and Marriott hotels, the city could lose out on tax revenue, McMillin said in a statement.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025
Cats in particular, with their solitary and skittish ways, can also teach them patience.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Investors are skittish, and animation, with its long timelines and high upfront costs, needs predictable ground to thrive.
—Callum McLennan, Variety, 10 May 2025
Plus, if skittish tourists book fewer rooms in the existing Hampton Inn and Marriott hotels, the city could lose out on tax revenue, McMillin said in a statement.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
Adjective
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Anyone familiar with the world of the Grateful Dead knows that one of the band’s most devoted and excitable fans was the late Bill Walton, the illustrious Hall of Fame NBA center who died in May 2024 at 71.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
15 May 2025
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Groups of excitable teenage boys waited their turn to play EA FC on a bank of massive flat screen TVs.—
James Montague,
New York Times,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Twilight was quite timid initially and hid under the bed for the first few days.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
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The Makos athletes also noticed that their parents were timid around water.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 May 2025
Adjective
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Other big miners, including archrivals BHP, Anglo American and Glencore, have steered clear of lithium, am important metal in batteries, but one which is also abundantly available puts suffers from extremely volatile pricing.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Unlike traditional crypto payment providers that handle numerous volatile currencies, Coinsub Technology strategically specializes in stablecoins.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The price of gold tends to move when markets get nervous – and so does the gold.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
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It should also be noted that Demings is more than a little nervous right now about making any public promises about helping to finance a baseball stadium.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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In Bolland’s judgment, Duffy was fearful of unlocking the past and thus naming and confronting his acts.—
Sarah Beckwith,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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That ambiguity has left Venezuelan immigrants with TPS not only fearful but also confused.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable policies — including massive import taxes — have clouded the outlook for the economy as well as the job market and raised fears that the American economy is headed toward recession.—
Matt Ott,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
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Smaller airlines are reportedly being hurt worst by unpredictable travel times.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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