1
as in agitatedly
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2
as in playfully
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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
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
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When snowflakes began to fall, some stuck their tongues out and laughed, playfully nudging one another.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
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Addressing people in the crowd from the stage, Chalamet playfully called out the Paris venue for charging attendees overpriced tickets to attend the premiere of the A24 movie.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The family searched desperately for their bodies and eventually found them at the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center south of Tehran.—
Babak Dehghanpisheh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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Hey, to the desperately thirsty, even a sip from a mud puddle tastes good.—
Greg Cote
February 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Hydroplaning happens when a vehicle starts sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Cancer Cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and multiply uncontrollably, forming tumors.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The song's interplay between choir and orchestra is buoyantly euphoric, opening a door to bolder, more intentionally progressive and soulful sounds in the country's mainstream.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 May 2025
Adverb
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Footage captures the chaotic initial response, with officers unsure if the shooter remained in the building and frantically searching for victims.—
Kimberlee Kruesi,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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At the same time, as influential tech journalist Casey Newton noted, TikTok’s algorithm seemed to fail immediately after the handover, leaving its largely Gen Z fanbase frantically seeking an alternative to the addictive feed.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Mangione wore beige prison clothing to the hearing and spoke animatedly with his defense team.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
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During the ceremony, Barron was seen smiling and clapping alongside Elon Musk, animatedly talking with Jeff Bezos and greeting outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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All this happened before, with the aid of a boombox, Singh and the little girls taught me to crazily dance Punjabi-style in their welcoming home occupied by three generations.—
Norma Meyer,
Oc Register,
4 Feb. 2026
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Granted, by the time the Jet Skis are swinging crazily in the air, Nathan has only been onboard for a few hours.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
7 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Their conversation bounced around frenetically, as their conversations tended to do.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
13 Feb. 2026
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The early-career excitement Spielberg generated with Duel, The Sugarland Express, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind came to a thudding halt with the frenetically busy, hopelessly bloated war comedy, 1941.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skittishly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittishly. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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