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 In addition to riling the MPAA, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s lurid, controversial title would end up putting it directly into the crosshairs of the nation’s squeamish and easily offended critics. Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024 Even if these arguments prevail, China will not be launching U.S.-style humanitarian interventions anytime soon, but its foreign-policy makers are likely to become less squeamish about intervening in the internal affairs of other countries. Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2013 Strahovski recalled getting squeamish after seeing a particularly graphic prosthetic. Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Sep. 2024 Other politicians are a little more squeamish about seeing themselves as leaders. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for squeamish 

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 31 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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