What does chickenhearted mean?
Chickenhearted is an informal adjective describing someone who is easily frightened or lacks courage — in short, a coward. The word draws on the long-standing English association between chickens and timidity: the bird's tendency to startle and flee made it a natural symbol of fearfulness, much as 'lily-livered' evokes physical weakness through the supposed paleness of a coward's liver. Typically used in playful or mildly mocking register rather than formal criticism, chickenhearted appears most often in phrases like 'too chickenhearted to admit it' or 'don't be chickenhearted.' Its antonyms include brave, courageous, and fearless, while its synonyms range from the neutral 'timid' to the stronger 'craven' and 'spineless.' Though somewhat old-fashioned today, it remains a vivid, memorable way to describe timidity.
adjectiveEasily frightened; lacking courage; cowardly.
- Easily frightened or lacking courage; cowardly.
"He was too chickenhearted to ask for a raise, even after years of loyal service."
"The chickenhearted guard refused to investigate the strange noise in the warehouse."
"Don't be chickenhearted about speaking up in meetings — your ideas deserve to be heard."
Calling someone chickenhearted is literally accusing them of having the heart of a bird — an insult so old that Shakespeare's contemporaries were already using 'chicken' as shorthand for cowardice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chickenhearted
Chickenhearted combines 'chicken,' long used figuratively in English to denote a coward (a usage attested by at least the early modern period), with the suffix '-hearted,' which forms adjectives describing disposition or temperament (as in kindhearted and lionhearted). The compound follows a well-established English pattern of using '-hearted' to characterize courage or its absence. It emerged in English usage alongside similar formations and remains a recognizable, if informal, term for cowardice.
How chickenhearted is actually used
Informal and somewhat dated in tone; often used playfully or teasingly rather than as a serious accusation. More common in American English than British English.
Easily confused with chickenhearted
Henpecked describes a man constantly scolded or dominated by his wife, while chickenhearted describes someone who is timid or cowardly.