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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skittish
The legendary barrel horse was skittish, scared of just about everything.
—
Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
The younger versions of Noah and Allie, callow and skittish, are laid out in broad strokes.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
But the skittish-librarian stereotype?
—Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025
Earlier this year, the Times reported that Gen Z is skittish about opening bar tabs.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Brittany Anas, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
The younger versions of Noah and Allie, callow and skittish, are laid out in broad strokes.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
But the skittish-librarian stereotype?
—Margaret Heidenry, Vanity Fair, 24 Dec. 2025
Earlier this year, the Times reported that Gen Z is skittish about opening bar tabs.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
Adjective
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The expressive and excitable young girl stumbles along, while the wary grown-up remains controlled and refined — even though both are completely lost.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Dry ice streams from an inflatable jaguar head, beyond an excitable DJ and announcers on stilts.—
Toby Skinner,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Gallego is confident that none of the pejoratives affixed to Democrats—weak, feckless, timid—applies to him.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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Harry Melling stars as a timid man who is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker (Skarsgård) takes him on as his submissive.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images As stock markets continue to be volatile, investors looking for a stable income stream can bolster their portfolios with the addition of attractive dividend stocks.—
,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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Core inflation, which strips out volatile categories, was also right in line with expectations.—
Steve Kopack,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Kansas sophomore guard Jamari McDowell actually didn’t have time to get nervous — or overthink his role — after learning freshman sensation Darryn Peterson would miss Monday’s game against Arizona because of flu-like symptoms.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2026
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Investors would understandably be nervous when both the CFO and the general counsel depart, according to Shivaram Rajgopal, an accounting professor at Columbia Business School.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This delay has raised concerns about the safety of robots, drones, and autonomous vehicles operating in unpredictable environments.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
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This is ideal for decades of sliding across the ice, because bigger mineral grains are more likely to get plucked out by the ice, leaving holes in the surface that could cause unpredictable behavior.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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