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Synonyms

squeamish

American  
[skwee-mish] / ˈskwi mɪʃ /

adjective

  1. fastidious or dainty.

    Synonyms:
    modest
    Antonyms:
    bold

  2. easily shocked by anything slightly immodest; prudish.

    Antonyms:
    bold

  3. excessively particular or scrupulous as to the moral aspect of things.

    Synonyms:
    exacting, delicate, finicky, finical
    Antonyms:
    bold

  4. easily nauseated or disgusted.

    to get squeamish at the sight of blood.
squeamish British  
/ ˈskwiːmɪʃ /

adjective

  1. easily sickened or nauseated, as by the sight of blood

  2. easily shocked; fastidious or prudish

  3. easily frightened

    squeamish about spiders
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • oversqueamish adjective
  • oversqueamishly adverb
  • oversqueamishness noun
  • squeamishly adverb
  • squeamishness noun
  • unsqueamish adjective
  • unsqueamishly adverb
  • unsqueamishness noun

Etymology

Origin of squeamish

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English squaymysch, squaimish(e), alteration of squemes, squaymes, squaimous, squaymous “easily nauseated, nauseating, fastidious,” from Anglo-French escoimus, escoymous; further origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Here McDermott’s inspired staging demonstrated that Glass’ forgiving personal portrait of Walt Disney makes it the quintessential Hollywood opera that no one dares bring to squeamish Hollywood.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

Even their own version of Donald Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, was feeling a little squeamish.

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026

Things were different in Great Britain and her colonies, where dissections left people squeamish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026

In other words, her instincts and approach in the Home Office might make some within the party squeamish.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

Some of these experiments were not for the squeamish, but they certainly made people sit up and take notice.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.