sissy

American  

[sis-ee] / ˈsɪs i /

noun

plural

sissies

1. Disparaging and Offensive. an effeminate boy or man.

2. a timid or cowardly person.

3. a sister, especially a younger sister.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a sissy.

sissy British  

/ ˈsɪsɪ /

noun

1. an effeminate, weak, or cowardly boy or man

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adjective

1. Also (informal or dialect): sissified.   cissified.  effeminate, weak, or cowardly

Other Word Forms

• sissiness
  noun
• sissyish
  adjective
• sissyness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of sissy

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50; sis + -y ²

Explanation

Sissy is a derogatory name for someone, especially a man or boy, who seems weak or cowardly, or who acts in a stereotypically feminine way. People who call others sissies aren't just insulting the so-called sissy. They're also implying that there is something weak and fearful about being a girl or a woman — it's the same as telling a boy, "You throw like a girl." It's unkind and also inaccurate. Sissy comes from sister, and its earliest use to mean "effeminate man" was in the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

Keaton plays Lenny McGrath — the oldest of three sisters — in this 1986 black comedy also starring Diane Lange and Sissy Spacek.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 11, 2025

Since “Badlands,” I’ve loved Sissy Spacek, In the book, the mother-in-law’s kind of gone crazy, but she played it much more that she saw exactly what was happening.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2025

His subsequent novel in 1976, “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues,” spotlighted the dynamic Sissy Hankshaw, a woman with supersized thumbs who capitalizes on her mutation by becoming a hitchhiker.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2025

But if things picked up, he’d head down the mountain with his two cats, Buddy and Sissy, tucked in his backpack.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2024

“It’s taking you the longest time to graduate,” protested Sissy good-naturedly.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith