trouillard

coward, chicken

noun troo-YAR Rare

Usage Note

Trouillard is informal and mildly insulting, used to call someone fearful or spineless — close to English 'scaredy-cat'. The feminine form is trouillarde, and the related noun la trouille means 'fright' or 'the jitters' (avoir la trouille = to be scared stiff). It belongs to familiar spoken register and would be out of place in formal writing.

Examples

"Ne sois pas trouillard, entre!"

Natural Translation

Don't be a coward, come in!

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