Chicken Little

noun

: one who warns of or predicts calamity especially without justification

Synonyms of Chicken Little

• Cassandra

Examples of Chicken Little in a Sentence

some called him Chicken Little, but the climatologist had the data to back up his warning on global warming

Recent Examples on the Web

For all the pre-launch Chicken Little-ing about America’s seeming disinterest in the World Cup, the TV and streaming audiences thus far have surpassed even the expectations of FIFA’s network partners. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 17 June 2026

Chicken Little may have been onto something! — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 June 2026

Is this part of their Chicken Little routine? — Josh Boak, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026

Many wrote him off as a futuristic Chicken Little because of his predictions of mass job loss driven by automation and AI. — Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the fable in which a chick attempts to warn other barnyard animals that the sky is falling after she is struck on the head by a chance falling object

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Chicken Little

• acquittal
• belittle
• committal
• hospital
• popliteal
• submittal
• transmittal
• brittle
• kittel
• kittle
• spital
• spittle