scaredy-cat
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does scaredy-cat mean? A scaredy-cat is a person who is easily frightened. Scaredy-cat is very informal and is most often used by children. It is synonymous with fraidy-cat. Example: He won’t go into the haunted house because he’s a scaredy-cat.
Etymology
Origin of scaredy-cat
First recorded in 1930–35; scared ( def. ) + -y 2 + cat ( def. ) (in the slang sense “person, man”)
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.
“Ava’s a scaredy-cat of any loud noises,” said Rori Chang, who was there with her golden retriever.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 3, 2023
As a pacifist — i.e., a scaredy-cat — it wasn’t a story I would have sought on my own.
From Washington Post • Feb. 8, 2022
Without them, a youngster described by his sister Maribel as "a scaredy-cat" may never have transformed into the 'raging bull' we know on court as one of the most ferociously competitive athletes of his generation.
From BBC • May 25, 2021
Well, I can’t help my love for scaredy-cat canines who are bedeviled by the scary and supernatural.
From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2021
I didn’t care for her holding my hand; I am as tall as she is and a good sight less of a scaredy-cat.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
