If you’re unsure what to call a person who gives up easily, you’ve come to the right place!
Below, we’ve compiled a list of great terms for someone who throws in the towel at the first sign of trouble. So, read on!
Words for Someone Who Gives Up Easily
- Quitter
- Fainthearted
- Defeatist
- Yielder
- Demoralized
- Pusillanimous
- Dropout
- Shirker
- Slacker
- Deserter
- Loser
- Non-starter
- Goldbrick
- Lazy
- Surrenderer
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The most appropriate word for someone who gives up easily is “quitter.”
- Being “fainthearted” is a character trait shared by many people who are quick to give up.
- You can use the word “defeatist” to describe someone who believes failure is inevitable, so they don’t even try to succeed.
Keep reading! In the next section, we’ll discuss our three favorite terms for someone who gives up easily.
We’ll even show you how to use each of our choices in some helpful example sentences.
Quitter
The best word for someone who gives up easily is “quitter.”
After all, the Cambridge Dictionary defines a “quitter” as “a person who gives up easily instead of finishing something.”
You can use this term to describe someone who stops trying the moment they experience failure. In other words, they lack the impulse to persevere in the face of obstacles or problems.
However, this term is often weaponized against people who leave certain jobs for their own best interests.
In short, it’s important to try your best and not be disheartened if you didn’t succeed at something the first time.
However, doing what’s best for you doesn’t make you a quitter, so it’s important to use this word with caution.
To see how best to use this term in a sentence, have a look at the examples below:
Was that employee a quitter or were they simply subjected to an unsupportive and exploitative workplace?
My mother didn’t raise a quitter, so if this doesn’t work, I’ll find another way.
Fainthearted
Another word to describe a person who gives up easily is “fainthearted.”
Choosing not to give up takes bravery and resolution. After all, putting your effort into something that may fail is very risky, and choosing to persevere despite these risks is an act of courage.
Therefore, it makes sense to use the adjective “fainthearted” when describing someone who is unwilling to face the risk of failure.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “someone who is fainthearted is not confident or brave and dislikes taking unnecessary risks.”
Thus, being “fainthearted” is a common character trait for someone who gives up easily.
Consider the examples below:
This line of work is not for the fainthearted, so if you can’t handle it, quit now.
His attempts were fainthearted at best, so it didn’t surprise any of us when he returned from his journey with nothing to show for it.
Defeatist
The word “defeatist” is both an adjective and a noun. Therefore, you can call someone a “defeatist” or say that they have a “defeatist” attitude.
Merriam-Webster defines “defeatism” as “an attitude of accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat.”
Therefore, this is a great word for someone so sure that they will fail that they simply give up at the outset.
After all, you are hardly going to try your best at something if you have no faith in the idea that you will succeed!
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, this term was coined at the end of World War I to describe pacifists and political opposition in Britain.
It stems from the French word défaitiste, which was often used in reference to Russians who were in favor of ending the war with Germany.
Let’s see this term in some example sentences:
You’re not going to get anywhere in life with such a defeatist attitude.
There’s no need to be a defeatist; people rarely book a film like that after their first audition.