Word
squeamish
Phoneticssquea·mish, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈskwimɪʃ/
UK/skwˈiːmɪʃ/
Definition
adj. easily made to feel sick or upset by blood, injuries, or other unpleasant things. You use it when someone cannot watch or hear about such things without feeling ill.
adj. easily nauseated or upset by the sight of blood, wounds, or other unpleasant things. Extends to moral or emotional delicacy that makes a person reluctant to act.
Examples
“She feels squeamish when she sees blood.”
“The new nurse admits she feels squeamish during blood draws but stays calm for her patients.”
“Even seasoned reporters, hardened to conflict, can grow squeamish when confronted with needless cruelty that no professional distance can soften.”
Examples
simple
“She feels squeamish when she sees blood.”
contextual
“The new nurse admits she feels squeamish during blood draws but stays calm for her patients.”
complex
“Even seasoned reporters, hardened to conflict, can grow squeamish when confronted with needless cruelty that no professional distance can soften.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “squeamish” in context.
Verb
01. be squeamish
“Don't be squeamish; the nurse needs your help.”
verb + adj
02. feel squeamish
“I started to feel squeamish during the surgery scene.”
verb + adj
03. get squeamish
“Many students get squeamish when dissecting frogs in biology.”
verb + adj
04. make squeamish
“The sight of blood makes me squeamish.”
verb + adj
05. squeamish about blood
“He's squeamish about blood, so he avoided the first-aid course.”
adj + prep + noun
Adjective
06. extremely squeamish
“She is extremely squeamish about injections and blood tests.”
adv + adj
07. rather squeamish
“He's rather squeamish and can't watch medical dramas.”
adv + adj
08. slightly squeamish
“I felt slightly squeamish at the sight of blood.”
adv + adj
09. a bit squeamish about blood
“I'm a bit squeamish about blood, so I looked away.”
10. feel squeamish at the sight
“I felt squeamish at the sight of the injury.”
11. have a squeamish stomach
“If you have a squeamish stomach, skip this scene.”
12. not for the squeamish
“This horror film is definitely not for the squeamish.”
Usage
Often follows linking verbs such as 'feel' or 'be'; commonly pairs with 'about' plus a noun or gerund.
Real-World Examples
“Tune in if you enjoy visually striking thrillers, but definitely steer clear if you’re squeamish about graphic content.” “If you ask me, the tentacles are the best part, but if they make you squeamish, ask for bodies only.” Etymology
Origin obscure. Likely a merger of earlier squeamous (“squeamish”), from Middle English squaimous, queimous, from Anglo-Norman escoimus, escoymous, of unknown origin; and dialectal English sweamish, sweemish (“faint, squeamish”), from sweam (“dizziness, sudden qualm of sickness”) and dialectal sweem (“to swoon, be faint, be overcome, feel sick”), from Middle English swemen (“to grieve, make suffer, be faint of heart”), from Old English *swǣman (“to grieve, trouble, afflict”). If so, then related to swim (“to be dizzy, swoon”). See also sweam.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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