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jittery

[ jit-uh-ree ]

/ ˈdʒɪt ə ri /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR jittery ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, jit·ter·i·er, jit·ter·i·est.

extremely tense and nervous; jumpy: He's very jittery about the medical checkup.

Origin of jittery

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; jitter + -y¹

OTHER WORDS FROM jittery

jit·ter·i·ness, noun

Words nearby jittery

jism, jit, jitney, jitter, jitterbug, jittery, jiujitsu, jiulong, jiva, jivaro, jive

Example sentences from the Web for jittery

He slowed down the action at times for effect; he jolted the camera to mimic the jittery imperfection of a documentary.

WWII Lies of Hollywood's Greats |Caryn James |February 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The learning curve for U.S. presidents can make for jittery moments.

Why China Hates U.S. Presidential Elections |Melinda Liu |October 24, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Well, Republicans want to make Democrats fearful and jittery and reactive—appear to be accepting the Republican premise.

Reality Vs. 'Reality' |Michael Tomasky |October 23, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
See how he gets all nervous and jittery, and then this stuff just tumbles out of his mouth?

The Israel Leg: Not a Disaster, But Not Good |Michael Tomasky |July 31, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

Jittery city dwellers want the reassurance of firm leadership.

Cameron Gets Tough |William Underhill |August 10, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
But she was jittery as an old hen and it weren't like her nohow.

Year of the Big Thaw |Marion Zimmer Bradley
Mrs. RVS started to get jittery at about ten mps away from home, and above fifteen, she was trembling steadily.

Slingshot |Irving W. Lande
You see, it sort of riled me—I warn't used to the ways of Jittery swells.

Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete |Albert Bigelow Paine
Chub flushed, knowing full well that reference was being made to the jittery way he had talked about ghosts.

Dan Carter and the Cub Honor |Mildred A. Wirt
And I'll admit that I was as jittery as a hen on a hot stove until we got this Fortress off the ground, and into the air.

Dave Dawson at Truk |Robert Sydney Bowen

British Dictionary definitions for jittery

jittery

/ (ˈdʒɪtərɪ) /

adjective

informal nervous and anxious

Derived forms of jittery

jitteriness, noun