shitless

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Having an empty bowel; greatly frightened; see usage notes below.

Register: slang, vulgar

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

The movie The Ring scared me shitless as a child.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “shitless” mean?

Having an empty bowel; greatly frightened; see usage notes below.

Is “shitless” formal or informal?

shitless is generally slang, vulgar.