SKITTISHLY Synonyms: 106 Similar and Opposite Words

skittishly

adverb

as in agitatedly

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Dissimilar Words

as in playfully

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of skittishly The horse, not sensing any guidance on its ribcage, begins to move skittishly in tight, concentric circles. — Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026 While skittishly edited, the film nevertheless builds up Faithfull’s biography in basic chronological order. — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittishly

Adverb

Even more horrifying than death was the thought of lying there, trapped beneath the rubble, listening to my two-year-old son desperately crying for help.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
With the crew desperately trying to hide the extent of the threat from the passengers, the ferry’s second engineer Johnny (Cooke) has to work with the National Cyber Security Centre’s new technical director, Bo (Morgan) to try and fight back.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of desperately

Adverb

On the red carpet, Clooney playfully swapped his Golden Lion trophy for a photographer's camera.

— Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
In the video, Hilton’s 3-year-old son Phoenix can be seen giggling as the puppy playfully chases him around the room while 2-year-old sister London looks on.

— Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of playfully

Adverb

The roommate approached the Lyft car as the driver frantically tried to drive away, according to the lawsuit.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 5 Sep. 2026
Upstairs in the club’s offices in Soho, central London, Palace’s hierarchy, recruitment team, secretaries and other staff worked frantically under pressure as the 11pm deadline ticked ever closer.

— Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of frantically

Adverb

Bindi, now a mother herself, posted a touching video of Steve animatedly describing her birth.

— Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
By the end of our call, Michael Sheen is animatedly sharing stories of his family’s (potential) UFO sightings in south Wales.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of animatedly

Adverb

And when Andreeva hits one of her crazily creative shots and turns to Martínez for praise, she is met with a smile, and maybe some clapping.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 June 2026
The scene used one of the film’s funniest visual gags, an apartment so crazily tilted that nobody inside it could stand up straight.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026

Definition of crazily

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“Skittishly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittishly. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of skittishly

adverb

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