Skittish meaning

skĭtĭsh
Moving quickly and lightly; lively.
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Easily frightened; jumpy.

A skittish horse.

adjective
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The definition of skittish is jumpy or easy to frighten.

A horse that gets very nervous at every little sound and that jumps and runs whenever he hears a noise is an example of a horse that would be described as skittish.

adjective
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Restlessly active or nervous; restive.
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Undependably variable; mercurial or fickle.
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Shy; bashful.
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Lively or playful, esp. in a coy manner.
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Fickle or undependable.
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Easily scared or startled; timid.

The cat likes people he knows, but he is skittish around strangers.

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Skittish Fortune's hall. "” Shakespeare.

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Origin of skittish

  • Middle English perhaps of Scandinavian origin Old Norse skjōta to shoot shoot

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Skittish Sentence Examples

  • Are stallions always skittish like that?

  • She was still skittish, so he hadn't done much examining of her.

  • Any filly would be skittish about going into a stable where the ghost of another lingered.

  • Some dogs are skittish and don't particularly care for their paws being handled or their nails being touched.

  • He.d thought Lankha skittish when he met the healer but soon found all the healers quaking and hiding.

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Words near skittish in the Dictionary