What does skittish mean?
Skittish means Easily scared or startled; timid..
Skittish
/ˈskɪtɪʃ/ · adjective
Meaning
Easily scared or startled; timid..
Definitions by Sense
- Easily scared or startled; timid.
- Wanton; changeable; fickle.
- Difficult to manage; tricky.
Example Sentences
The dog likes people he knows, but he is skittish around strangers.
1557, Roger Edgeworth, Sermons Very Fruitfull, Godly, and Learned, London: Robert Caly, The fiftenth treatice or Sermon, All such be like a skittish starting horse, whiche coming ouer a bridge, wil start for a shadowe, or for a stone lying by him, and leapeth ouer on the other side into the water, & drowneth both horse and man.
How some men creep in skittish fortune’s hall, Whiles others play the idiots in her eyes!
[…] ’Tis pitiful To court a grin, when you should wooe a soul; To break a jest, when pity would inspire Pathetic exhortation; and t’ address The skittish fancy with facetious tales, When sent with God’s commission to the heart.
For everybody’s family doctor was remarkably clever, and was understood to have immeasurable skill in the management and training of the most skittish or vicious diseases.
Synonyms for skittish
Antonyms for skittish
Related Words
Word Forms
- more skittish
- most skittish
Usage Notes
Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.
Practice and Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a synonym for skittish?
Common synonyms include spookish, jumpy, skittery, skitterish.
What is the opposite of skittish?
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
How do you use skittish in a sentence?
The dog likes people he knows, but he is skittish around strangers.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.