yellow-bellied

adjective

informal + old-fashioned
: not having courage : cowardly
He's a yellow-bellied traitor!

Cite this Entry

“Yellow-bellied.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yellow-bellied. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster