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 success of The Substance has been an unlikely one — weathering COVID and squeamish executives. E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2025 That thinking relies heavily, however, on enough squeamish GOP lawmakers opposing Trump's more controversial plans or ideas and there have been few defections on the right thus far. Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025 According to philosopher Bernard Williams — a staunch critic of utilitarianism — people are right to feel squeamish about ignoring those who are near and dear. Sigal Samuel, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 The Years Last summer, more squeamish audience members were fainting left, right and center at this adaptation of the French writer Annie Ernaux’s quasi-memoir. Matt Wolf, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squeamish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squeamish. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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!