skittish
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skittish
- /ˈskɪtɪʃ/
- [ˈskɪɾɪʃ]
Rhymes with -ɪtɪʃ
Where it comes from
Probably from skite (“to move lightly and hurriedly; to move suddenly, particularly in an oblique direction (Scotland, Northern England)”) + -ish; compare skitter.
adjective more skittish · most skittish
-
Easily scared or startled; timid.
The dog likes people he knows, but he is skittish around strangers.
Similar: spookish, jumpy, skittery, skitterish, squirrelly
- Wanton; changeable; fickle. How some men creep in skittish fortune’s hall, Whiles others play the idiots in her eyes!
- Difficult to manage; tricky. 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.
Translations
Every language
adj easily scared
| Español | temeroso, chúcaro, asustadizo, espantadizo, pajarero, huidizo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 胆小的, 易受惊的 |
| Français | timide |
| Deutsch | scheu, schreckhaft |
| Italiano | pauroso, timoroso |
| Română | timid |
| Русский | пугли́вый puglívyj, боязли́вый bojazlívyj |
adj fickle
| Deutsch | launisch, unberechenbar |
|---|---|
| Italiano | capriccioso, volubile |
Talk about this word "skittish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/skittish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. skittish. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/skittish "skittish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/skittish.Cite this
@misc{skittish_2026,
title = {skittish},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/skittish},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
