skittish
25
7.0
- adjective
- /ˈskɪtɪʃ/
:
asustadizo
- After the sudden movements, the dog became skittish and hid under the couch.
That's the dude, Cleo, very skittish, incredibly skittish cat.
- That's the dude, Cleo, very skittish, incredibly skittish cat.
- And if anybody knows about Mallard ducks, they're one of the most skittish creatures in the world.
Examples
-
Among the challenges Civitas faces are privacy concerns that make people skittish about sharing data.
Academic text (2016) -
Investors grow skittish, fearing that the dollar might collapse, and bond markets turn on U.S. government paper.
Academic text (2011) -
And between you and me, they look a little skittish to me.
-
I was never quite sure just how skittish he really was.
Fiction book (1990) -
We have been joined by a somewhat skittish, very big bird.
-
And yet Rose seemed skittish, as if not quite wanting to believe it.
Fiction book (1998) -
Many birds grew skittish over these years and learned not to sing.
Fiction book (1998) -
The atmosphere has me a bit skittish.
-
In the cavalry, of course, though Rojo was declared too skittish for military duty.
Fiction book (1996) -
He doesn't speak yet, and he's a little skittish around humans.
Synonyms
∞
1.3
Feeling worried and easily frightened
143
1.3
Feeling afraid or nervous and easily frightened
60
3.5
Shy and afraid to do new or risky things
54
4.3
Feeling nervous and easily startled by sudden sounds
10
9.1
Feeling nervous and acting in strange, unpredictable ways
9
7.4
A person who changes plans and loses interest easily
3
8.4
Acting nervous and strange in a way you cannot predict
2
4.6
Easily frightened and likely to react suddenly when surprised
1
8.7
Moving quickly and lightly because it is nervous or easily startled
1
9.9
Feeling nervous and afraid to do something new
Nervous and easily frightened, likely to jump at sudden sounds
Being very easily frightened and not brave
Antonyms
How Nervous
Surface Forms
Morphology
skittish = skitt + ish
The suffix '-ish' is productive, but the root 'skitt' is not a recognizable modern English base (it is archaic/dialectal), so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from the parts.
Etymology
The word skittish comes from an old verb like skitter, which means 'to move quickly or dart away'. So imagine a nervous horse that jumps and runs at a small sound, and that's why skittish means easily frightened or unpredictable.