craven

adjective

cra·​ven ˈkrā-vən 

1

: lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted

… craven mercenaries who would not fight …

—Thomas Fleming

2

archaic : defeated, vanquished

craven noun

cravenly adverb

cravenness

ˈkrā-vən-nəs 

noun

Did you know?

Craven and its synonyms dastardly and pusillanimous are all basically fancy words for "cowardly." Don't be afraid to use them—here's a little information to help you recognize the subtle distinctions in their connotations. Craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. One might speak of "craven yes-men." Dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous, as in this example: "a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians." Pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage, as in "After the attack, one editorialist characterized the witnesses as 'the pusillanimous bystanders.'"

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for craven

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 craven in a Sentence

a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally

Recent Examples on the Web

To keep Kiara's mind off things, Rafiki tells the story of young Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), who got washed away from his family by a huge flood and was saved by Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the prince of his pride who shows early signs of his craven nature and eventual heel turn as Scar. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024

Dancing around Spider-Man without ever getting to use him also contributed to the feeling that these spin-off films were merely exercises in, ahem, craven opportunism. —Adam B. Vary, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024

Kyle Beach’s courage and humanity is in sharp contrast with the craven men who failed him (Photo: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images) Get all-access to exclusive stories. —Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 24 July 2024

Since then, Trump has regularly lobbed attacks at the military and its top leaders, accusing them of being politically craven and operationally incompetent. —Ronald R. Krebs, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cravant

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

craven

1 of 2 adjective

cra·​ven

ˈkrā-vən

: cowardly

cravenly adverb

cravenness

-vən-(n)əs

noun

craven

2 of 2 noun

: coward