squirrely

or squir·rel·ly

[ skwur-uh-lee, skwuhr-or, especially British, skwir- ]

adjective

, Slang.

1. eccentric; flighty.

Word History and Origins

Origin of squirrely¹

First recorded in 1930–35; squirrel + -y ¹

Example Sentences

This is where things get squirrely in Lewis’ telling.

From Slate

“He was a squirrely, wrinkly thing,” Richardson says.

From Scientific American

"If that makes you a little squirrely, having bacon grease, well, then you're not going to like this cornbread," Jordan said of his family's choice of fat.

From Salon

Exposure is a little squirrely in video recording, too, but otherwise, clips look good up to the 4K/60p max.

From The Verge

HDR on the Phone 1 camera is a little squirrely.

From The Verge

More About Squirrely

What does squirrely mean?

Squirrely is a slang term meaning eccentric, flighty, or slightly odd, as in There was something squirrely about the way the suspect gave his alibi.

Squirrely is used very informally and is often used to describe several different types of behavior.

Have you ever seen a squirrel dash back and forth across the road, not actually getting to either side? It might look to you like they can’t decide which side of the road they want to be on. You could describe this behavior as a bit erratic or unpredictable. And when you see a person behave like this, you might call their behavior squirrely.

Squirrely can be used to describe actions that are vaguely odd or strange. You might not be able to say precisely what was odd about someone’s behavior, but your instinct tells you that it’s not quite right. It’s a little suspicious. That’s squirrely.

Squirrely can also be spelled squirrelly.

Example: This squirrely kid kept asking me weird questions and I didn’t know what to do.

Where does squirrely come from?

The first records of squirrely come from around the 1930s. It combines the term squirrel and the suffix -y, which makes adjectives meaning “characterized by or inclined to.”

In its most general sense, squirrely describes someone or something as squirrel-like. For example, squirrels are known for moving around and fleeing using erratic movements, especially when they’re approached by humans. When you see someone acting like that, you might call those actions squirrely, jumpy, or uneasy. Sometimes the term can be used to describe something as wavering or vague, to indicate uncertainty.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to squirrely?

• squirrelly (alternative spelling)

What are some synonyms for squirrely?

• eccentric
• offbeat
• unstable
• capricious
• giddy

What are some words that share a root or word element with squirrely? 

• squirrel

What are some words that often get used in discussing squirrely?

• actions
• behavior
• dubious

How is squirrely used in real life?

Because it’s slang, squirrely is almost always used informally. It’s most often used to describe people and their behaviors.

We got a little squirrely in the dune buggies today, so there's a SEND IT hat somewhere in the Sharjah Desert. If you find it, send a pic.

— Elton Castee (@EltonCastee) November 3, 2017

In practice, many AI researchers are squirrely about what they build into their models, hiding the built-in structure while touting the learning.

— Steven Pinker (@sapinker) January 19, 2018

 

 

Try using squirrely!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for squirrely?

A. jumpy
B. uneasy
C. definitive
D. flighty