SKITTISHNESS Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

skittishness

noun

as in anxiety

a state of nervousness marked by sudden jerky movements because of the horse's skittishness and temperamental nature, only experienced riders should ride him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 skittishness Gorky was using European traditions—Roberto Matta’s Surrealism, Picasso’s neoclassicism, Cézanne’s explorations—to make work that captured New York’s sexiness, skittishness, and force. — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026 This summer, major shoe brands from Nike to Adidas to Under Armour to On have each expressed skittishness about the retail environment for sneaker sales. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Hybrids past and present High fuel prices, broader selection and lingering skittishness around EV range and charging are pushing an unprecedented number of buyers toward hybrids. — Robert Ferris, CNBC, 23 July 2026 Was that skittishness behind Hollywood’s absence from Cannes this year? — Guy Lodge, Variety, 26 May 2026 Now, with early voting for the March 3 primary set to start next week, the mudslinging in both races is expected to soar, according to insiders with both parties watching with skittishness from Texas and Washington. — Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Feb. 2026 The skittishness with tech stocks subsided on Friday, with shares of Nvidia and Microsoft going up, as did the price of Bitcoin. — Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026 Analysts and former diplomats told CNN that successive British governments have failed to strike the correct balance on China, resulting in a policy characterized by mistrust, skittishness and incoherence. — Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026 But their skittishness and brutality are qualities associated with fear, not resolve. — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittishness

Noun

When the line between general unease with not knowing crosses into anxiety that interferes with daily life, people should seek professional help, said Dugas.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Given Abbey’s anxieties about spending money and fear of not having enough, Stacy plans to use very conservative assumptions for inflation, health costs and average returns when making her projections based on Abbey’s savings today.

— Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of anxiety

Noun

Melanie Lawrence, a 68-year-old independent, worries about wells going dry in her area near Willcox, where the groundwater grew so depleted that the land started to crack.

— Hannah Knowles The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
In an interview earlier this fall with NPR, Los Angeles County's top voting official, Dean Logan, alluded to those worries.

— Miles Parks, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of worry

Noun

When the line between general unease with not knowing crosses into anxiety that interferes with daily life, people should seek professional help, said Dugas.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Beyond elevated yield levels, the widening spread between French and German benchmark sovereign bonds reflects growing investor unease over France's fiscal trajectory and debt servicing capacity.

— , CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of unease

Noun

Market jumpiness can serve as a good moment for those nearing the end of their career to make sure their nest egg is prepared for a downturn, Benz said.

— Annie Nova,Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
Conference Board economist Dana Peterson noted these state indexes have a history of statistical jumpiness.

— Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 30 Dec. 2025

Definition of jumpiness

Noun

If students have nerves about speaking on school grounds, those on the peripheries of campus don’t face the same dilemma.

— Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 14 Oct. 2026
The idea is to sound like an inferior buck in the brush, one that is roaming around a mature deer’s space and getting on his nerves.

— Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of nerves

Noun

Research shows that side effects may include insomnia, jitteriness, and gastrointestinal issues.

— Carrie Madormo, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2026
The constant movement might make some audience members dizzy, yet its jitteriness signifies the anxiety and unease of the characters, both in their skin and with each other.

— Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 25 May 2026

Definition of jitteriness

Noun

Their presence has fueled social tensions in Ceuta and become a political issue across Spain, where opposition parties hope to use migration concerns to unseat the progressive government in next month's elections.

— JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
Despite seeking international support and launching a new military offensive, Saudi Arabia faces a conflict with no clear endgame, as fragmented allies and unresolved regional tensions make a lasting solution hard to achieve.

— Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of tension

Noun

In spite of the intermittent aesthetics of edginess, Bass is better understood as a foray into a classic mid-career pop-star conceit.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
In many ways, this movie set the template for the modern action-comedy blockbuster, but few of its many imitators have come close to matching the spunky edginess and swooning romantic intrigue of the original trend-setter.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of edginess

Browse Nearby Words

skittishly

skittishness

skive

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Skittishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittishness. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of skittishness

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes