Chicken Little
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Chicken Little
From a character in nursery tales (also known as Henny Penny, Chicken-Diddle, or Chicken-Licken) who, when struck on the head by an object from above, panics and believes that the sky is falling
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.
I normally think about what could go wrong, and I’ve cried out that we’re heading toward a dystopia more times than Chicken Little shrieked about the sky falling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
“I’m concerned that people will think it was the Chicken Little, you know, ‘Y’all said the sky was falling, and now nothing’s happened,’” she said in a phone interview.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2025
"We need to take these glaciers seriously without sounding like Chicken Little," Joughin said in an email.
From Fox News ● Feb. 2, 2022
Mr. Levine was viewed by many — even by progressive members of his own party — as a kind of Chicken Little, anticipating and fearing the worst.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 26, 2021
He dumped Chicken Little into a burlap sack and tossed him next to some egg crates and boxes of wool cloth.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
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.
