faint-hearted
Short on guts when things get rough.
Also called fainthearted, faint of heart.
Updated September 21, 2026
faint-hearted pronunciation
/FAYNT-har-tid/
Meaning
Describes somebody who scares easy or backs down when the job turns hard. In redneck talk it shows up as a warning more than a dictionary label: hog killing, greasy tractor work, and scary back roads "ain't for the faint-hearted." Closest cousins are chicken and yellow, with a little church-book polish left on it.
How folks use it
- “That night hunt through snake country ain't for the faint-hearted.”
- “Don't go faint-hearted on me now. We still got half that load of wood to stack.”
Origin and etymology
Old English stock. "Faint-hearted" has meant lacking courage since late Middle English, and the Bible helped keep it familiar. Rural Southern speech kept the word, especially in "not for the faint-hearted," as a plain warning before rough work or a rough story.
Frequently asked questions
Is faint-hearted the same as scared?
Close. It leans more toward lacking nerve for something hard, not just jumping at a noise.