squeamish

adjective

squea·​mish ˈskwē-mish How to pronounce squeamish (audio)
1
a
: easily nauseated : queasy
b
: affected with nausea
2
a
: excessively fastidious or scrupulous in conduct or belief
b
: easily offended or disgusted
squeamishly adverb
squeamishness noun

Examples of squeamish in a Sentence

I used to be squeamish about eating raw fish. I'm too squeamish to watch horror movies.
Recent Examples on the Web But that’s causing some discomfort—and not because people may be squeamish around the delicacy. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2024 Ray was squeamish to start with, reluctant to touch the inside of a chicken, but things changed. Olivia Potts, Longreads, 15 Feb. 2024 Diners in Los Angeles are feeling a bit squeamish around oysters at the moment. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2024 The character development is top-notch, and the show isn't squeamish about occasionally knocking one of those characters off. Ars Staff, Ars Technica, 29 Dec. 2023 Hiro was squeamish, yet horror films were where a lot of the innovations in makeup and low-budget effects were happening. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 27 Nov. 2023 To the competition’s organizers, the children were standing up for themselves against outsiders questioning their way of life — one that has left them neither squeamish nor fazed by life and death. Yan Zhuang Tatsiana Chypsanava, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2023 Some said the close-up look at contestants in all shapes and sizes encourages body positivity and is breaking down barriers around squeamish topics. Adela Suliman, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023 This is a Murdoch of more mercurial motivation, desperate to win but squeamish about some of Lamb’s innovations, particularly the Page 3 pinup display. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squeamish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English squaymisch, modification of Anglo-French escoymous

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of squeamish was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near squeamish

Cite this Entry

“Squeamish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squeamish. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

squeamish

adjective
squea·​mish ˈskwē-mish How to pronounce squeamish (audio)
1
a
: easily made sick : queasy
b
: affected with nausea : nauseated
2
: easily shocked or disgusted
squeamishly adverb
squeamishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on squeamish

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