jittery
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jittery
Explanation
Jittery can describe jerky or nervous actions. If you consume a lot of caffeine, you might appear jittery. If a running back is darting around quickly and unpredictably, making herky-jerky movements, he's jittery. Also, jittery applies to people who feel nervous or tense. If you're worried about a test, you'll feel jittery. During the last minute of a basketball game, some players get jittery. Synonyms for this nervous kind of jittery are edgy, high-strung, jumpy, nervy, and uptight.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Earlier, markets turned jittery following a report that Iran was insisting on keeping its enriched uranium, but sentiment then improved after reports suggested progress is being made.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said while the holiday and airline industry "is at pains to stress there are no current fuel shortages....consumers are getting jittery".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, oil prices have inched higher, and some investors are still understandably jittery.
From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026
Now, Wall Street is jittery about a recent breakthrough at Google.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
The man seemed even more nervous and jittery than the first man Travis had spoken to.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
