[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/wuss/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [W](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/w/) / wuss

# wuss

noun (wuss, wusses); adjective (wussy, informal)

«wuss» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (slang, mildly rude) A person who is seen as weak, scared or not brave. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#m1)
2. Wuss is an old country way of saying worse. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#m2)

### In the lessons

In everyday talk among children or in stories, calling someone a «wuss» teases them for being scared. It is mildly insulting and can be unkind; being careful or scared of danger is often sensible, not weak.

### Examples

- Don't be a wuss, the water's not that cold! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x1)
- He called me a wuss for not going on the big ride. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x2)
- I'm a total wuss about spiders. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x3)
- Stop calling your brother a wuss. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x4)
- Only a wuss would quit now, said the bully. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x5)
- It's not wussy to wear a helmet, it's smart. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x6)
- An' dey got wuss nex' day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/#x7)

### Note

Slang, mainly US. Plural: wusses. It is a teasing insult; avoid it in school writing. Saying it about yourself («I'm a wuss about needles») is friendly.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «wuss» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wuss/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«wuss» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/wuss.html) on Mova free.

