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Synonyms

fraidy-cat

American  
[frey-dee-kat] / ˈfreɪ diˌkæt /

noun

Informal.

  1. a timid, easily frightened person: often used by children.

Etymology

Origin of fraidy-cat

1905–10; fraid (aphetic form of afraid ) + -y 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.

Kicking was fraidy-cat tactics, but diverted blame from Quinn to Atlanta’s defensive players.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2015

A cellar-dweller doesn’t best an undefeated club by using fraidy-cat tactics.

From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2015

I thought, OK, well, let’s say I’m just a fraidy-cat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 4, 2015

And by the time one particular horror is massaged out of existence another crops up like a spook in the closet of a "fraidy-cat" girl, and then the business is begun all over again.

From The Woman Beautiful or, The Art of Beauty Culture by Stevans, Helen Follett

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.