gutless
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- gutlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of gutless
Explanation
Calling someone gutless is a mean way to say they're timid or cowardly, like your gutless cat, who runs in fear whenever he sees a mouse. Perhaps the most famously gutless character is the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz, whose cowardice made him cry and tremble despite his attempts at being ferocious. The adjective gutless dates from about 1900, from the informal guts, "spirit or courage." It takes guts to confront a bully, but it's gutless to pick on smaller kids and run away from bigger ones.
Vocabulary lists containing gutless
Feeling Faint: Synonyms for "Weak"
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Swindle
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Jazmin's Notebook
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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.
Taix was where I watched the heroic Zinedine Zidane headbutt the gutless Marco Materazzi in the saddest World Cup final ever.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
I respect your choice, yet it was rude, mean and gutless.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 12, 2023
Michelle Goldberg writes that Romney is taking the gutless way out:
From Slate • Sep. 15, 2023
Like all gutless bullies, he assiduously avoids any conflict where he's not protected.
From Salon • May 12, 2023
He despised his gutless reaction to Joe’s dilemma; he couldn’t stand his cowardice.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
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.
