Whimp

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A cowardly individual who avoids confrontation due to fear or weakness
2. A timid person who shows a reluctance to face difficult situations or challenges
3. Someone lacking courage and often avoiding brave acts or confrontations

Etymology: The most widely cited origin links this word to J. Wellington Wimpy, the hamburger-loving freeloader in E. C. Segar's comic strip "Thimble Theatre," which featured Popeye. Wimpy famously offered to "gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" and rarely did. A slang sense meaning a weak, timid person appears in American English in the early 1940s, and the adjective "wimpy" followed. The Wimpy link is plausible given the timing, but no documented coiner has confirmed it. The "wh" spelling is a later variant of "wimp," and it is much less common. Dictionaries generally treat it as an alternate form of the same slang word rather than a separate term with its own history.

Synonyms: wimp, coward

Antonyms: brave, hero