yellow-bellied
Americanadjective
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having a yellow abdomen or underside.
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Slang. cowardly; lily-livered.
Etymology
Origin of yellow-bellied
First recorded in 1700–10
Explanation
To be yellow-bellied is to be cowardly or easily scared. If you're yellow-bellied, you're not brave. It’s the kind of word cowboys use, partner. This word originally applied to birds that literally have a yellow belly, like the yellow-bellied sapsucker. From there, it came to mean an insult for cowards. If you're afraid to ask someone on a date, you're yellow-bellied. If you're easily frightened or spooked, you're yellow-bellied. This is often used as an insult or challenge, like "What are you, yellow-bellied?!"
Vocabulary lists containing yellow-bellied
Idioms and Expressions, List 3
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Into the Wild
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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.
It studies the yellow-bellied marmot, one of the 15 recognised species of marmot found in the Northern Hemisphere.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
His study of the yellow-bellied marmot remains one of the longest-running studies of its kind.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
A yellow-bellied marmot shown on a trail camera in Montana.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2024
Documented examples have included California condors, Komodo dragons and yellow-bellied water snakes.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
And I hid from it like a yellow-bellied coward, keeping my mind on figures when it wasn’t wandering back to the musical note Anemone Cordimas put at the end of my name.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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.
