as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a staunch hawk during the drumbeat for war, he proved to be a chicken when it came to actually fighting it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yellow
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
too chicken to go through with the stunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
just concentrate on the important duties of the job and forget about the chicken stuff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chicken
Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Jan. 2025
The Next Evolution of Cantonese Food: A wave of new restaurants are challenging diners to go beyond sesame chicken and crab Rangoon.
—Luke Fortney, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
In addition to raising chickens on 50 acres of the 60-acre property, the two run a general store that sells artisan bread, dairy products, chicken and eggs.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
From roasted chicken to shrimp skewers to grilled vegetables, there’s no need to waste oil.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chicken 
Noun
And if there’s a chicken, beef, or dairy farm upstream?
—Erica Sloan, SELF, 10 Jan. 2025
The Next Evolution of Cantonese Food: A wave of new restaurants are challenging diners to go beyond sesame chicken and crab Rangoon.
—Luke Fortney, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
In addition to raising chickens on 50 acres of the 60-acre property, the two run a general store that sells artisan bread, dairy products, chicken and eggs.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Jan. 2025
From roasted chicken to shrimp skewers to grilled vegetables, there’s no need to waste oil.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
But then Gi-hun could die looking down on him as both a dog and a coward.Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
-
The Vikings are cowards who didn't take a viking ship.Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 4 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
The look features bright coral eyeshadow covering the eyelid, a fuchsia shade in the crease, and a swipe of fluorescent yellow eyeliner on the outside half of the eye and right under the brow.Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, 20 July 2017
-
Three prominent Austin chefs teamed up with the Youngblood family to build a new restaurant from scratch that looks like a legacy chicken dinner house, down to the bright blue-and-yellow colors and the helpings of hot yeast rolls with honey.Bud Kennedy, star-telegram, 19 July 2017
Adjective
-
While some of the nominees fall far afield from the norms—Hegseth, Gabbard, and RFK Jr. are the marquee names in that cohort, for sure—the bulk will face only nominal opposition from Democrats.Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Jan. 2025
-
Of course, all the good deeds in the world can’t buy your way into heaven, but as a nominal Catholic, Biden may have been persuaded by the Pope to commute the sentences.Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Some children might regress to an earlier stage of development, becoming afraid of going to school and leaving their parents.Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
-
In need of a way to raise funds, but afraid of the political consequences of implementing new taxes, state lawmakers opted to experiment with a lottery.Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
California saw a slight decrease in unemployment from October to November 2024, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
-
The major concern with Johnson in his first two pro seasons was that his slight frame would have trouble surviving against larger, more physical players.Aaron Portzline, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Read Next Florida Shelter thought dog was scared — but something else was wrong.Simone Jasper, Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2025
-
Advertisement Thirty years ago, Blake was himself a scared kid.Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Those in-the-moment progressions can feel tiny and barely perceptible from one session to the next.Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 16 Jan. 2025
-
Despite their immense size, these gentle giants are filter feeders, primarily consuming plankton, small fish, and other tiny organisms by swimming with their mouths open to filter food from the water.Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
For the 34th time in two years cops have been called by frightened neighbors or Hollis herself to quell the volcanic quarrels inside Peppermill Apartments unit B-312.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
-
My friends were confused by my abrupt stop and the frightened and befuddled look on my face — except for one, whose eyes were also bulging wide.Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near chicken
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share