What does quailing mean?
Quailing means losing courage or shrinking back when confronted with fear, awe, pressure, or authority. The word often suggests a pronounced reaction: a person may hesitate, recoil, or fail to act boldly. “Quail before” is a particularly established pattern, as in “quail before the ruler,” while “make someone quail” describes the power one person or situation has to intimidate another. Although the second sense involves physically cowering, the word is also used figuratively for emotional or moral hesitation. It appears more often in formal prose, historical narratives, and dramatic writing than in casual conversation. Its force comes from the image of a person suddenly becoming smaller or overcome in the presence of something formidable.
verbTo lose courage or shrink back in fear, awe, or deference. It can also describe physically drawing back or cowering before a threatening presence.
- To lose courage or become overwhelmed by fear, awe, or deference.
- To shrink back or cower from a threatening or overpowering presence.
"She refused to quail before the intimidating crowd."
"The young lawyer did not quail when confronted with the evidence."
"The children quailed as the storm thundered directly overhead."
Some people quail before a challenge; others are inspired by it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quailing come from?
The verb comes through Middle English from Old French quailler, associated with cowering, recoiling, or losing heart. Its precise early development is uncertain, but the modern sense continues the older idea of shrinking or being overcome by fear. The same form is also the name of a familiar ground-dwelling bird, though the precise connection between the bird and the verb is not clear enough to state with certainty.
Related word forms
How quailing is actually used
The expression is literary and often conveys a strong emotional response rather than a brief hesitation. It is especially common in the construction “quail before” someone or something.
Easily confused with quailing
Quailing means losing courage or shrinking back, whereas a quill is a feather or a pen made from a feather.