jumpy

[ juhm-pee ]

adjective

, jump·i·er, jump·i·est.

1. subject to sudden, involuntary starts, especially from nervousness, fear, excitement, etc.

   Synonyms: fidgety, skittish, jittery

2. characterized by sudden starts, jerks, or jumps:

   a jumpy narrative.

jumpy

/ ˈdʒʌmpɪ /

adjective

1. nervous or apprehensive
2. moving jerkily or fitfully

Derived Forms

• ˈjumpily, adverb
• ˈjumpiness, noun

Other Words From

• jumpi·ly adverb
• jumpi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of jumpy¹

First recorded in 1865–70; jump + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Jennifer Weber’s jumpy choreography doesn’t enhance the storytelling picture.

From Los Angeles Times

The part seems to have been shaped, or reshaped, to Goldblum’s jumpy rhythms and a delivery that retains a note of the comic however serious the matter.

From Los Angeles Times

But the track made executives jumpy.

From BBC

"Especially at first, you're very jumpy, you're very nervous about who's going to come along and take my stuff, or who's going to attack me," he said.

From BBC

We drove through sandstorms and dozens of checkpoints guarded by jumpy fighters, reaching Khartoum, the ravaged city where the war began.

From New York Times

Related Words

• apprehensive
• creepy
• excitable
• fidgety
• frisky
• high-strung
• jittery
• restless
• shaky
• skittish
• spooked