Colloquial Variant guide

yellowbelly

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈjɛləʊbɛli/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A coward.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chicken, bottler, caitiff, candy-ass, candy-arse, coistril, coward, chicken liver, chickenshit, cocktail, cowardy custard, craven, dog, fraidy cat, funker, gutless wonder, invertebrate, jessie, lizard, milquetoast, nancy, niddering, nidering, nidget, niding, nithing, piece of crap, piece of shit, pisspants, poltroon, pullet, punk, pussy, pussyhole, quiche-eater, quakebreech, quakebuttock, recreant, scaredy cat, scaredy pants, shithouse, sissy, slag, sluggard, snool, sook, weak sister, wheyface, yellow belly, yellow back

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Someone from Lincolnshire, or from the Isle of Ely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone from Wexford.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Ireland, slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A golden perch (Macquaria ambigua).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A yellow-bellied sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: woodpecker, bird, animal, creature

History

Etymology

* From yellow + belly. * (someone from Lincolnshire or Isle of Ely): An allusion to the frogs and yellow-bellied eels caught there.

Across languages

Translations

27 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: страхливец (strahlivec) — a coward
  • Catalan: cagacalces — a coward
  • Catalan: cagat — a coward
  • Italian: coniglio — a coward
  • Italian: mammoletta — a coward
  • Italian: pollo — a coward
  • Italian: merlo — a coward
  • Italian: femminuccia — a coward
  • Italian: smidollato — a coward
  • Italian: pappa molle — a coward
  • Italian: pappamolle — a coward
  • Italian: rammollito — a coward
  • Italian: fifone — a coward
  • Italian: codardo — a coward
  • Italian: cortigiano — a coward
  • Italian: mollusco — a coward
  • Italian: vigliacco — a coward
  • Italian: pusillanime — a coward
  • Italian: eunuco — a coward
  • Italian: debole — a coward
  • Italian: pisciasotto — a coward
  • Italian: cacasotto — a coward
  • Italian: pauroso — a coward
  • Italian: vile — a coward
  • Māori: toupiore — a coward
  • Polish: cykor — a coward
  • Spanish: amarillo — a coward