Wimp

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /wɪmp/

Definitions

1. A person who lacks courage, strength, or determination and avoids difficult or unpleasant situations
2. A individual characterized by a deficiency in bravery or resilience, often shying away from challenging or uncomfortable circumstances
3. A person notably deficient in assertiveness or fortitude who frequently evades risky or hard scenarios

Etymology: The noun "wimp" for a timid, easily frightened person is probably a clipping of "whimper," the small, plaintive cry of someone close to tears. The shortened form seems to have settled into the language in the United States, where by the 1930s it was familiar enough to be built into the names of two popular radio and cartoon characters. The first was J. Wellington Wimpy, the devious but cowardly supporting character in the Popeye comic strips and cartoons, who would promise to pay you back on Tuesday for a hamburger today and never did. The second was Wallace Wimple, the mild-mannered character from the radio show "Fibber McGee and Molly." Both characters lived up to the name, so the word and its personalities reinforced each other in American popular culture.

Synonyms: coward, weakling

Antonyms: hero, tough