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.
During wilderness orientation in Canada, Naomi said she was the "biggest scaredy-cat - I vocalised my nerves" and thinks this made others write her off.
From BBC • Sep. 8, 2023
“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
French winger Ousmane Dembele, for example, is a scaredy-cat, according to teammate Randal Kolo Muani, who said Dembele is frightened by the strays that roam the 33 acres surrounding France’s resort hotel in Doha.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2022
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
“Wow, Althea. Little noises got you nervous? Guess you’re the scaredy-cat you always were.”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
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.
