chickenhearted
Definition
Adjective: * Easily frightened; lacking courage; timid: Describes a person who is quick to feel fear and is unwilling to face danger, difficulty, or unpleasant situations. It implies a lack of bravery or resolve.
Usage
The word "chickenhearted" is a descriptive adjective. It is often used in informal or critical contexts to label someone's character or a specific action as cowardly. It can be considered mildly insulting.
Examples
- The chickenhearted knight refused to enter the dark forest.
- Don't be so chickenhearted; it's just a little spider.
- His chickenhearted response to the challenge disappointed his team.
Advanced Usage
- The term is a compound word formed from "chicken" (an animal often associated with fear) and "hearted" (referring to one's nature or spirit). Similar constructions include "lionhearted" (brave) and "fainthearted" (timid).
- It can be used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like "is" or "seems").
Variants and Related Words
- Chicken-livered (adj.): An even more informal and synonymous term for cowardly.
- Chicken out (phrasal verb): To decide not to do something because of fear.
- He was going to bungee jump, but he chickened out at the last moment.
Synonyms
- Cowardly
- Timid
- Fainthearted
- Timorous
- Pusillanimous (formal)
Antonyms
- Brave
- Courageous
- Bold
- Fearless
- Lionhearted
Idioms and Related Phrases
- To have a yellow streak: To be cowardly. (This idiom shares the critical connotation of "chickenhearted").
- To get cold feet: To suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do. (This describes an action rather than a permanent character trait).
Adjective
-
easily frightened
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