chickenhearted

adjective

chick·​en·​heart·​ed ˈchi-kən-ˌhär-təd 

: timid, cowardly

too … chickenhearted to accompany me in this perilous undertaking

—Washington Irving

Synonyms

• chicken
• chicken-livered
• cowardly
• craven
• dastardly
• gutless
• lily-livered
• milk-livered [archaic]
• poltroon
• pusillanimous
• recreant
• spineless
• unheroic
• yellow

Examples of chickenhearted in a Sentence

too chickenhearted to speak up, even though she knew a terrible injustice was being committed

Word History

First Known Use

1629, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chickenhearted

adjective

chick·​en·​heart·​ed ˌchik-ən-ˈhärt-əd 

: cowardly sense 1