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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The segment never lives up to that hype, but the sight of Homer self-cannibalizing himself is sure to make some Simpsons viewers squeamish. Joshua Kurp, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024 Horror films still offer a path to profitability on low budgets that no other genre can claim, which is why even the most squeamish filmmakers should celebrate the remarkable box-office success demonstrated by Damien Leone’s gory saga of the depraved Art the Clown. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024 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 See all Example Sentences for squeamish 

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 29 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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