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Synonyms

wuss

American  
[woos] / wʊs /
Also wussy,

noun

Slang.
  • wusses
    plural
  1. a weakling; wimp.


wuss British  
/ wʊs, ˈwʊsɪ /

noun

  1. slang a feeble or effeminate person

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of wuss

First recorded in 1980–85; perhaps blend of wimp and puss 1

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.

See Examples For:

My girlfriend, Rachel, who is not a food wuss like me, unhesitatingly and hopefully tried the stuff.

From Washington Post Jan. 19, 2021

Gottlieb is a public figure who essentially said that Luck, a man who suffered a lacerated kidney, shoulder surgery and a concussion, among other injuries, is a wuss just like most of his generation.

From Seattle Times Aug. 27, 2019

For me, no sooner, I was a bit of a wuss.

From Slate Jun. 8, 2018

I admitted myself indeed a wuss, as the last set was not scheduled to start until sunrise, and jumped on my bike.

From The Guardian Feb. 28, 2017

He was still playing, but he’d think I was a wuss.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

And actually maybe the Oath Keepers, those guys are such wusses, they might’ve been nervous.

From Slate Apr. 9, 2024

College kids are called wimpy, wusses, whiners, babies, and, in the words of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, “sanctimonious, sensitive, supercilious snowflakes.”

From Salon Sep. 15, 2019

Meanwhile, us wusses are cowering under our sheets.

From Washington Post Mar. 22, 2019

Mice, for their part, can’t taunt other mice or call them wusses; still, the presence of peers is enough to stimulate risky behavior.

From The New Yorker Aug. 31, 2015

But what she’s really saying is that we’re both wusses.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

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