scaredy-cat

noun

A coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared.

Similar
fraidy catscaredy pantsbottlercaitiffcandy-asscandy-arsecoistrilcoward
OriginEnglish cat →
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Meanings

nounscaredy-cat (plural scaredy-cats)

plural scaredy-cats · alternative scaredy cat

  1. endearingA coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared.

    I don't care — I wouldn't be such a scaredy-cat for anything.

    1918, Florence Kiper Frank, “The Child and the Little Sister”, in The Midland, volume 4, page 61
    1 more example

    Oh, yes, do let's dance together—it's so nice to meet a man who isn't a scaredy-cat about catching my beri-beri.

    1933, Dorothy Parker, The Waltz

    Synonyms: fraidy cat, scaredy pants, bottler, caitiff, candy-ass, candy-arse, coistril, coward

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared.

Similar
fraidy catscaredy pantsbottlercaitiffcandy-asscandy-arsecoistrilcowardchickenchicken liverchickenshitcocktailcowardy custardcravendogfraidy catfunkergutless wonderinvertebratejessie
Also see
fraidy catfraidy-catsook

Origin

  1. Englishscared
  2. Englishcat
  3. Englishscaredy-cat

From scared + -y + cat.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish pelkuri
  • pelkuria coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
French trouillard, trouillarde
  • trouillarda coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • trouillardea coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • froussarda coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • froussardea coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
German Angsthase, Hasenfuß
  • Angsthasea coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • Hasenfußa coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Hungarian gyáva nyúl, gyáva kukac
  • gyáva nyúla coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • gyáva kukaca coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Japanese 怖がり, 恐がり
  • 怖がり (kowagari)a coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • 恐がり (kowagari)a coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Korean 겁보, 겁부
  • 겁보 (geopbo)a coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • 겁부 (geopbu)a coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Māori toupiore
  • toupiorea coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Norwegian Bokmål reddhare
  • reddharea coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Russian труси́шка
  • труси́шка (trusíška)a coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Spanish medroso, miedoso
  • medrosoa coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
  • miedosoa coward; a person who is easily frightened or high-strung and easily scared
Cite this entry
APA

scaredy-cat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scaredy-cat

MLA

“scaredy-cat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scaredy-cat. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scaredy-cat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scaredy-cat.

Source: scaredy-cat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.