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gutless

[guht-lis]
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adjective Informal.
  1. lacking courage, fortitude, or determination.
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Origin of gutless

1600–10 for literal sense; gut + -less
Related formsgut·less·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

abject, chicken, coward, cowardly, craven, feeble, irresolute, lily-livered, pusillanimous, spineless, submissive, weak, yellow, chicken-hearted, faint-hearted, wimpy, yellow-bellied

Examples from the Web for gutless

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Of all the gutless wonders I've ever heard of that pilgrim takes the prize.

    Assassin

    Jesse Franklin Bone

  • Rostoff snatched up the fallen gun, snarling, "I'm calling your bluff, you gutless rummy."

    Medal of Honor

    Dallas McCord Reynolds

  • Or are all you Mentorians so gutless that you believe any half-baked folk tale the Lhari pass off on you?

    The Colors of Space

    Marion Zimmer Bradley

British Dictionary definitions for gutless

gutless

adjective
  1. informal lacking courage or determination
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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

Word Origin and History for gutless

adj.

"cowardly," 1900, from gut (n.) in the figurative "spirit" sense (see guts) + -less. Literal sense is from c.1600. Related: Gutlessly.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper