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Meanings of skittish in English

Unpredictably excitable (especially of horses)

Related terms
Usage of skittish in English
1
Even in Europe, many nations have been skittish about the recent sanctions.
Reuters
2
They're skittish and inbred, given the stocks we have to work with.
Son of a witch: volume two in the wicked years
3
I just rescued Lucifer three months ago, and he's really skittish still.
Chelsea chelsea bang bang
4
She seemed skittish, unable to remain still for more than a second.
Bare Bones
5
So I would expect markets to stay skittish throughout the whole summer.
Reuters
6
O'Toole crept along the edge of the wash, approaching the skittish animals.
Genellan: planetfall
7
A bare year out of action and behaving like a skittish colt!
Night of Knives
8
The strong rhetoric and inflexibility on both sides have made investors skittish.
Reuters
9
The others, more skittish, danced away from me every time I moved.
Moonburn
10
Tommy shied from her position in the road like a skittish horse.
The Meadow-Brook Girls Under Canvas; Or, Fun and Frolic in the S...
11
Feeling skittish about picking a lackluster U.S. sector and hoping it rebounds?
Reuters
12
The animal he rode danced a skittish side-step from time to time.
The Bars of Iron
13
Lorie's apt to be skittish of men for the next few years.
Lonesome dove
14
Even another rate cut from China could not steady the skittish mood.
Reuters
15
Mounted at the gate with Mr. H. Horse skittish, and wants exercise.
The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. in Nine Volumes, Volume 04 / ...
16
They were leaving town, and the horses were skittish in the wind.
A reliable wife
About this term
More collocations
Skittish through the time
Skittish across language varieties
United States of America
Common
United Kingdom
Less common