A “scaredy cat” is a colloquial term used to describe someone who is excessively timid or easily frightened. This expression, often used playfully or teasingly, is derived from the image of a cat being notoriously skittish and easily startled. When calling someone a “scaredy cat,” it’s typically a light-hearted way of acknowledging their fearfulness or reluctance in the face of perceived threats or challenges.
Sample Sentences:
- The neighborhood kids teased Jake for being a scaredy cat when he hesitated to enter the dark alley.
- Sarah always acts like a scaredy cat during horror movie nights, covering her eyes at every suspenseful scene.
- Don’t be such a scaredy cat; it’s just a harmless spider.
- When faced with the haunted house, Mark revealed his scaredy cat side and refused to enter.
- Even the tough-looking security guard turned out to be a scaredy cat when the fire alarm went off unexpectedly.
- Mary’s reputation as a scaredy cat earned her an amusing nickname among her friends.
- The little boy was called a scaredy cat after running away from a harmless butterfly.
- As the thunderstorm approached, the dog transformed into a shivering scaredy cat.
- During the camping trip, Alex earned the title of scaredy cat for his aversion to nocturnal sounds.
- The haunted maze proved to be too much for the scaredy cat group, who exited in a panic.
Synonyms and Indonesian Equivalents:
- Timid: pemalu
- Fearful: penuh ketakutan
- Nervous: gugup
- Anxious: cemas
- Apprehensive: khawatir
- Jittery: gelisah
- Panicky: panik
- Terrified: ketakutan
- Frightened: ketakutan
- Cowardly: pengecut
Antonyms and Indonesian Equivalents:
- Brave: berani
- Fearless: tak kenal takut
- Bold: berani
- Courageous: penuh keberanian
- Confident: percaya diri
- Daring: berani
- Resolute: tegas
- Unflinching: teguh
- Audacious: nekat
- Valiant: gagah berani
Derived Words and Indonesian Equivalents:
- Scaredy-cat: pemalu
- Scaredy-pants: penakut
- Scaredy-catting: bertindak pemalu
- Scaredy-mouse: penakut
- Scaredy-kitten: pemalu
- Scaredy-dog: penakut
- Scaredy-face: ekspresi takut
- Scaredy-crowd: kerumunan yang takut
- Scaredy-moments: momen ketakutan
- Scaredy-reaction: reaksi takut
Related Words and Indonesian Equivalents:
- Fear: rasa takut
- Anxiety: kegelisahan
- Phobia: fobia
- Dread: ngeri
- Trepidation: kegelisahan
- Panic: panik
- Timidity: kepenakutan
- Jitters: ketidaktenangan
- Apprehension: kekhawatiran
- Nervousness: kegelisahan
Phrasal Verbs and Indonesian Equivalents:
- Freak out: panik
- Back down: mundur
- Chicken out: menyerah
- Jump at: terkejut
- Back off: mundur
- Freak someone out: membuat seseorang panik
- Give in to fear: menyerah pada rasa takut
- Back away: mundur
- Shy away from: menghindari
- Chicken out of: mundur dari
Common Expressions and Indonesian Equivalents:
- Scaredy-cat: penakut
- Scaredy-pants: penakut
- Scaredy-mouse: penakut
- Scaredy-face: wajah takut
- Scaredy-crowd: kerumunan yang takut
- Don’t be a scaredy: jangan penakut
- Acting like a scaredy: berperilaku seperti penakut
- Scaredy tendencies: kecenderungan penakut
- Stop being a scaredy: berhenti menjadi penakut
- Laughing at the scaredy: tertawa pada yang penakut
Related Idioms and Indonesian Equivalents:
- “Jump out of one’s skin”: terkejut sangat
- “Have butterflies in one’s stomach”: merasa gugup
- “Shake like a leaf”: gemetar seperti daun
- “Scare the living daylights out of someone”: membuat seseorang sangat ketakutan
- “Bite one’s nails”: merasa cemas atau takut
- “Cold feet”: menjadi ragu-ragu atau takut pada saat terakhir
- “All in a quiver”: merasa sangat gugup
- “Scare someone out of their wits”: membuat seseorang sangat ketakutan
- “Jump at one’s own shadow”: sangat paranoid atau takut pada sesuatu yang tidak berbahaya
- “Have one’s heart in one’s mouth”: merasa sangat cemas atau takut
