flighty
Meaning
(of a person, especially a woman) frivolous, irresponsible, and prone to sudden changes of mood or interest; capricious.
(archaic) (of a horse or other animal) easily frightened and difficult to control.
Structure
Usage
She was dismissed as a flighty socialite, not to be taken seriously.
His flighty nature made it impossible for him to hold down a steady job.
The novel's heroine is initially portrayed as flighty, but reveals great depth as the story progresses.
Etymology
The adjective "flighty" is a native English formation, built upon the noun "flight." While "flight" commonly refers to the act of flying, its older and more fundamental sense relates to the act of fleeing or escaping. The suffix "-y" adds the meaning "characterized by." Therefore, the literal construction is "characterized by flight." This originally described creatures, like skittish horses, prone to sudden, uncontrolled movement. Over time, the metaphor shifted from physical capriciousness to mental and behavioral instability. A "flighty" person is thus one whose mind or attentions seem to flee erratically from one subject to another, leading to the modern sense of frivolous irresponsibility.
Analysis
- flight: From Old English flyht, related to flēogan (to fly). In this context, it carries the sense of fleeing or moving capriciously. - y: A native English suffix (from Old English -ig) used to form adjectives meaning "characterized by" or "full of."