sissy 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of sissynext
as in feminine
of or relating to a man who has or displays qualities traditionally considered more suitable for women thought it was sissy for a boy to like flowers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

sissy

2 of 2

noun

ˈsi-sē How to pronounce sissy (audio)
as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger the candidate touts his wartime service as evidence that he is not a sissy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sissy
Adjective
The sissy bar, rear fender, license plate bracket, and seat pan are all one-off items. — New Atlas, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
Until the 19th century, most Westerners, including European royalty, ate with their knives (and considered Italians to be sissies for using forks). — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026 The irony is that a minority once viewed as filled with sissies and losers is now portrayed as filled with bullies and power brokers, and straight people, especially men, seem to perceive themselves as the weak and afraid ones. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026 The sissy occupied a place between masculinity and femininity and almost always existed in service of the surrounding straight characters as well as the predominately hetero audience, for whom the sissy was a reliable source of humor. — Rich Juzwiak, Time, 21 Jan. 2026 This acting medium is not 4 sissies. — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025 Her little sister’s third birthday, then my 27th birthday, our Christmas Eve tradition, the first time in seven years of not seeing or hearing the excitement opening gifts from Santa and sissy. — Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2022 Real Housewives, like old age in the Betty Davis adage, is not for sissies and Sutton is more of a sissy than me at 6 years old going as Truman Capote for Halloween. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 2 June 2021 There's this emphasis placed on gay people being well groomed and into high fashion, having high voices and being weak or sissies. — Jeneé Osterheldt, kansascity, 16 Mar. 2018 Giving birth isn’t for sissies, after all—and some mothers go to extremes raising their offspring. — National Geographic, 13 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sissy
  1. feminine
  2. coward
  3. effeminate
  4. unmanly
Adjective
  • Designers like Chloé and Bottega Veneta have used the earthy color as a way to contrast sexy silhouettes or ground feminine pieces.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Hadid immediately set the tone for not only the feminine prowess that would fill the stage but the ethereal beauty, too.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of feminine
Noun
  • Some called them cowards; others opted for more colorful language.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026
  • There are always vultures circling, and always cowards caving.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of coward
Adjective
  • In Texas, Republicans have variously suggested that Senate candidate James Talarico is effeminate, gay, transgender…and/or pedophilic.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The next big issue for me was that Axl shimmied from side to side with an unusual snakelike move that struck me as effeminate and lame.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of effeminate
Adjective
  • The elastic insult is meant to belittle the target as inauthentic, attention-hungry, unserious, and unmanly.
    — Erik Forrest Jackson, The Atlantic, 22 Aug. 2026
  • For Marius’ friend, police chief Silviu (Alex Conovaru), such solicitude is weak and unmanly.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of unmanly

Browse Nearby Words

sissified
sissy
sister
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sissy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sissy. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All