What does cissy mean?
Cissy is an informal, chiefly British term for a man or boy viewed as weak, timid, or effeminate. It functions mainly as a noun — "Don't be such a cissy" — but also appears attributively as an adjective meaning unmanly or faint-hearted. The word carries strongly negative connotations: it derides both cowardice and any departure from traditional masculinity, which makes it potentially offensive in modern usage, and it has largely been displaced by terms like "wimp" or simply avoided altogether. It originated as a variant of "sissy," itself derived from "sister" via childish pronunciation, so its history is tied to taunts about girlishness. Today it survives mostly in older speech, comedy, and writing that deliberately evokes mid-twentieth-century schoolyard banter, and readers are best advised to recognize it rather than use it.
A weak, timid, or effeminate man or boy; a coward.
"He was called a cissy at school for refusing to fight."
Derogatory and dated; chiefly British.
(Attributive) Weak, timid, or lacking masculine toughness.
"She thought the safety briefing was a cissy precaution until the storm hit."
Informal; less common than the noun form.
Standard plural, used when referring to multiple people labelled this way.
"The coach growled that his team was full of cissies."
'Cissy' is really just 'sister' wearing a disguise — it grew out of a childish way of calling someone girlish.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cissy
Cissy arose in nineteenth-century Britain as a variant of "sissy," a nursery diminutive formed from "sister." Because boys who behaved timidly were mocked with feminine labels, "sissy" and its variant "cissy" came to mean an unmanly or cowardly male. It shares this root with "sister" itself and with affectionate forms like "sis," though its sense drifted from kinship to insult.
How cissy is actually used
Informal and chiefly British, though understood in American English where 'sissy' is more common. The word is dated and potentially offensive: it mocks both perceived weakness and femininity in men, so careful writers avoid it except when deliberately evoking an old-fashioned or prejudiced voice.
Easily confused with cissy
Cystic relates to cysts in medical contexts, while cissy is a slang term for a weak or effeminate person — the two share only a superficial sound resemblance.