1
as in excitable
easily excited by nature
the skittish colt leapt up when we approached
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Nvidia made a compelling case as to why efficiencies that have made the market skittish in recent weeks should drive higher demand over time.
—
Michael Bloom, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025
Stubbornly high mortgage rates, which are still hovering around the 7 percent mark and are expected to remain above 6 percent through 2025 and 2026, are making buyers skittish about purchasing properties—forcing sellers to slash prices in an attempt to convince them to close the deal.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Economic worries and inflation Investors also remain skittish about the health of the U.S. economy and whether inflation is still falling after a spate of weak economic data and January's hotter-than-expected consumer price index.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
This would also help the nonprofit attract private and foundation funding from entities that are a little skittish about its legal footing, and help more such centers open around the city.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Michael Bloom, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025
Stubbornly high mortgage rates, which are still hovering around the 7 percent mark and are expected to remain above 6 percent through 2025 and 2026, are making buyers skittish about purchasing properties—forcing sellers to slash prices in an attempt to convince them to close the deal.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Economic worries and inflation Investors also remain skittish about the health of the U.S. economy and whether inflation is still falling after a spate of weak economic data and January's hotter-than-expected consumer price index.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
This would also help the nonprofit attract private and foundation funding from entities that are a little skittish about its legal footing, and help more such centers open around the city.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skittish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittish
Adjective
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And if Django’s Billy Crash tapped into Goggins’s ability to thrive with brutal spite, Mannix plays more to Goggins’s excitable energy and capacity for being clever (even when his character seems to be anything but).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2025
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For someone so obsessed with the granular details of carbohydrates and fueling, Roche runs with an easy, excitable freedom.—
Devin Kelly,
Outside Online,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Wu was seen as timid at the beginning of the migrant crisis, staying in the background while Healey seized a Roxbury community rec center as a migrant shelter.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 Mar. 2025
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Of course, a lot of Republicans don’t feel that way because they’re being tricked into returning to a George W. Bush-era mindset where Democrats are weak and timid on the world stage while Republicans are tough and firm and willing to bomb the hell out of anyone who stands in their way.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Here’s what their analysis found: Only 8.4% of investors executed trades on any of those days, reacting to the volatile market by buying or selling stocks.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2025
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Core inflation, which excludes more volatile energy, food, alcohol and tobacco prices, rose by 3.4% in the year to March, down slightly from 3.5% in February.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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At times brutal and always volatile, the album functions as a sort of electro-shock therapy applied from the shoulders down, layering hard beats, ambient whorls, and nervous acid ticks to trigger a state of full-body rapture.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
18 Apr. 2025
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At the same time, sellers might get nervous if deal activity slows down.—
James Nelson,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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His family, angry and fearful, even staged an intervention to force the former teetotaler into rehab.—
Gary Goldstein,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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Van Hollen added that Abrego Garcia was held in a cell with 25 other people and fearful of other prisoners who taunted him.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Fittingly, given the unpredictable nature of the campaign, who knows what the result or circumstances will be at Tottenham Hotspur on the day Hurzeler’s first season draws to a close?—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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Zoom out: Trump's trade policy is unpredictable, with tariffs being set and changed constantly.—
Felix Salmon,
Axios,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skittish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittish. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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