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jumpy

/ˈdʒʌmpi/
/ˈdʒʌmpi/
IPA guide

Other forms: jumpier; jumpily; jumpiest

Someone who's jumpy is anxious and jittery. If you've ever been so nervous that you couldn't sit still, you know how it feels to be jumpy.

This informal adjective is perfect for describing the sort of anxiety you can't hide. If you're shifting in your seat, crossing and uncrossing your legs, and nervously tapping your fingers on your knees as you wait to give a speech, you're jumpy. Jumpy also means "bumpy," as when you take a jumpy bike ride along a rocky, unpaved road.

Definitions of jumpy
  1. adjective
    in a very tense state
    tense
    in or of a state of physical or nervous tension
  2. adjective
    causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements
    synonyms: bumpy, jolting, jolty, rocky, rough
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