Afraid
Afraid adjective - Filled with fear or dread.
Usage example: Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago
Skittish
Skittish adjective - Easily frightened.
Usage example: the cat is skittish around people she doesn't know
Afraid and skittish are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Afraid" instead an adjective "Skittish".
Nearby Word: skittishly
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- Each of them is easily the most skittish and afraid of their respective circles of friends, but when its necessary, both have been shown to pull through and have their moments.
Source: Cowardly Lion / Literature
Cite this Source
Skittish and Afraid. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/afraid/skittish
Afraid & Skittish. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/afraid/skittish>.
Skittish or Afraid. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/afraid/skittish.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "afraid" and "skittish" have occurred on timeline