flighty

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

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

From flight + -y. Compare Dutch vluchtig (“volatile; fleeting; cursory”), German flüchtig (“volatile; fleeting; momentary; quick”), Danish flygtig (“elusive; evasive”), Swedish flyktig.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# 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
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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