cowardly

1 of 2

adverb

cow·​ard·​ly ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-lē 

: in a cowardly manner

cowardly

2 of 2

adjective

: being, resembling, or befitting a coward

a cowardly retreat

cowardliness noun

Synonyms

Adjective

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

Choose the Right Synonym for cowardly

cowardly, pusillanimous, craven, dastardly mean having or showing a lack of courage.

cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage.

a cowardly failure to stand up for principle

pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage.

the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility

craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance.

secretly despised her own craven yes-men

dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous.

a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

Examples of cowardly in a Sentence

Adjective

He insisted on avoiding a cowardly retreat.

She made a cowardly decision to go along with the group.

a cowardly attack from behind

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Reeve’s Clark put on a bumbling and cowardly display, in line with much of the early comic strip stories, but only gradually incorporated more of the investigative reporter elements. —Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025

And instead of doing pro bono work for Trump, cowardly law firms should be defending those who believe in the rule of law. —Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

Adjective

Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025

The cowardly capitulation of Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps are negative examples to be learned from. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1551, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cowardly

adjective

cow·​ard·​ly

ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-lē

1

: lacking courage : disgracefully timid

a cowardly rascal

2

: characteristic of a coward

a cowardly attack from behind

cowardly adverb

cowardliness noun