What does wimp mean?
Wimp is an informal noun for a person considered timid, weak, or unwilling to confront difficulty. It often carries a dismissive or teasing tone, especially when used of someone who avoids a challenge, though it can also be sincerely condemnatory. The related verb means to behave timidly or back away from a task, and the familiar expression wimp out is especially associated with that sense. As an adjective, wimpy describes behavior or a person as weak or fearful. Because wimp is blunt and potentially insulting, it is more common in speech and informal writing than in formal criticism. Its etymology is unusually uncertain: the word appeared in English in the early twentieth century, but scholars have not agreed on its source. The entry is nevertheless useful in modern English because it can mark not merely physical weakness but a conspicuous failure of nerve, while derived forms such as wimpy and wimpily let speakers characterize either a person or the manner in which they act.
A person regarded as timid, weak, or unwilling to face difficulty or stand up to others.
"She was called a wimp after refusing to enter the contest."
Informal and potentially derogatory; often used teasingly when describing someone who avoids a challenge.
To behave timidly or withdraw from a challenge because of fear or discouragement.
"He wimped out just before the race began."
Informal; the standalone verb is less common than the phrasal expression wimp out.
The ordinary plural is used when referring to multiple people regarded as weak or timid.
"The story was full of heroes and wimps."
“Wimp” arrived in English in the early 20th century with an origin experts cannot pin down—proof that even a blunt word can be etymologically mysterious.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wimp come from?
The word is of uncertain origin and is attested in English in the early twentieth century. Its early sense concerned a weak or timid person, with the familiar sense of a coward developing from that usage. Because its source is disputed, no direct cognates can be stated confidently.
Related word forms
How wimp is actually used
The noun is informal, usually dismissive or teasing, and can be deliberately insulting when used seriously. The verb is informal and especially common in British usage.
Easily confused with wimp
A wisp is a thin strand, small trace, or faint apparition, whereas a wimp is a person considered timid or weak.