skittishly

adverb

1
as in agitatedly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words
2
as in playfully

Related Words

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
  1. desperately
  2. playfully
  3. uncontrollably
  4. buoyantly
  5. frantically
  6. animatedly
  7. crazily
  8. briskly
Adverb
  • The number of households paying the BBC license fee plummeted last year at a time when the corporation is desperately seeking a revamp of its funding model.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 July 2026
  • Mbappé had a chance for a critical goal in the 67th minute but his shot careened wide, and France remained scoreless as Les Bleus desperately searched for a scoring chance.
    — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 July 2026
Definition of desperately
Adverb
  • The comedian playfully gave the camera the middle finger and stuck her tongue out aboard a white jet ski, wearing a black helmet and a black life jacket over of her swimsuit in one snapshot.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 6 July 2026
  • In a video posted on social media warning New Yorkers about an ongoing heat wave, Mamdani playfully referenced the event.
    — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
Definition of playfully
Adverb
  • Hydroplaning occurs when a vehicle begins to slide uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • Hydroplaning is the term for when a vehicle begins sliding uncontrollably on wet roads.
    — STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
Definition of uncontrollably
Adverb
  • 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
Definition of buoyantly
Adverb
  • Once that became clear, Cashman pivoted to Stanton — hard and fast and perhaps even frantically — and made the big splash for the big man two weeks or so before Christmas.
    — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 11 July 2026
  • In a darkly comedic twist, Beadie changes her mind after swallowing a lethal dose, and Jessa frantically calls the paramedics to save her life.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of frantically
Adverb
  • Alqasimi speaks animatedly about Alfred Hitchcock’s framing techniques in midcentury films like Rear Window and Rope, and the idea of withholding a complete view in order to sustain curiosity.
    — Mona Basharat, Architectural Digest, 25 June 2026
  • Last season Hustus handled more than 16,000 lobsters all while chatting animatedly with visitors from around the world—and often introducing them to their first tastes of lobster.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 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
Adverb
  • Screenwriters Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller briskly sketch in the legend that hovers like a stormcloud waiting to descend over life in the lush coconut groves and on the golden beaches.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2026
  • The 2025 ceremony honoring Conan O’Brien built toward an ambitious finale; this one moved briskly, with less spectacle and little sentimentality.
    — Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026
Definition of briskly

Browse Nearby Words

skittish
skittishly
skittishness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skittishly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittishly. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All