flighty C2 Topic:Emotions & Feelings US /ˈflaɪti/ See IPA manual Freq #37405 Meanings 1 adj Acting on silly, sudden ideas rather than careful thought; not reliable. She was too flighty to hold down a steady job for very long. 2 adj Easily frightened or excited, especially of horses. The young horse was flighty and bolted at every sudden noise. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · acting on silly, sudden... scatterbrainedflyaway 2 adj · easily frightened or... skittish Word family Forms flightierflightiest Derived forms flightilyflightinessunflighty Etymology AI details From flight + -y. Compare Dutch vluchtig (“volatile; fleeting; cursory”), German flüchtig (“volatile; fleeting; momentary; quick”), Danish flygtig (“elusive; evasive”), Swedish flyktig. Topics Emotions & Feelings Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # flighty **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈflaɪti/ **Frequency rank:** 37405 ## Meanings 1. Acting on silly, sudden ideas rather than careful thought; not reliable. 2. Easily frightened or excited, especially of horses. ## Examples - She was too flighty to hold down a steady job for very long. - The young horse was flighty and bolted at every sudden noise. ## Derived Forms - flightily - flightiness - unflighty ## Etymology From flight + -y. Compare Dutch vluchtig (“volatile; fleeting; cursory”), German flüchtig (“volatile; fleeting; momentary; quick”), Danish flygtig (“elusive; evasive”), Swedish flyktig. ## AI Etymology Flighty is from flight + -y. Compare Dutch vluchtig (“volatile; fleeting; cursory”), German flüchtig (“volatile; fleeting; momentary; quick”), Danish flygtig (“elusive; evasive”), Swedish flyktig. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix. Current senses include acting on silly, sudden ideas rather than careful thought; not reliable and easily frightened or excited, especially of horses. The wider family includes derived forms such as flightily, flightiness, and unflighty. ## Topics - Emotions & Feelings - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown