jittery

[ jit-uh-ree ]

adjective

, jit·ter·i·er, jit·ter·i·est.

1. extremely tense and nervous; jumpy:

   He's very jittery about the medical checkup.

jittery

/ ˈdʒɪtərɪ /

adjective

1. informal.
   nervous and anxious

Derived Forms

• ˈjitteriness, noun

Other Words From

• jitter·i·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jittery¹

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; jitter + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Understandable, considering how the apocalyptic vibes of the prevaccination era and the systemic effects of the shutdowns spurred more everyday consumers to keep gold as a safe backup and to hold on as things began to recover in jittery fashion.

From Slate

Other Labour figures, though, are privately jittery that all this “looks like the leakers have won”, as one put it to me.

From BBC

Historically, a big jump in rates typically ends in a recession - and the stock market has been jittery over any signs of that the economy is headed for a "hard landing".

From BBC

Everything seems jittery, frantic and rushed.

From BBC

Each of those measures is also likely to mean disappointed demographic groups, anxious taxpayers, and jittery new MPs’ email inboxes filling up with complaints.

From BBC

Related Words

• anxious
• apprehensive
• edgy
• excitable
• fidgety
• jumpy
• panicky
• restless
• shaky
• skittish
• spooked
• tense
• uneasy
• uptight