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
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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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chicken
Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2025
Prepared by a topside chef, a chicken sandwich is making its slow descent down an elevator, carried by an official who joins the reporter and her chaperones.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025
Raw chicken was stored in plastic grocery bags (those aren’t food grade bags) in an outside reach-in freezer.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2025
Roasting pans are ideal when roasting a whole chicken (or even two), making a casserole and preparing extra large quantities of food, such as potatoes and veggies.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chicken 
Noun
The Tavern on Blake Street will be part of that family of brands and feature a menu similar to the location in Snowmass, where dishes range from casual bites like chicken wings and burgers to high-dollar items like a seafood tower and $130 prime Tomahawk steak.
—Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2025
Prepared by a topside chef, a chicken sandwich is making its slow descent down an elevator, carried by an official who joins the reporter and her chaperones.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025
Raw chicken was stored in plastic grocery bags (those aren’t food grade bags) in an outside reach-in freezer.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 14 Feb. 2025
Roasting pans are ideal when roasting a whole chicken (or even two), making a casserole and preparing extra large quantities of food, such as potatoes and veggies.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
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McGee, Knight, and Torres step onto the Elevator of Schemes and Secrets full of speculation, like why is LaRoche interested in scoring political points with this case, and what kind of coward hides behind a fake name anyway?—
Sara Netzley,
EW.com,
17 Dec. 2024
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This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.—
Audrey Conklin,
Fox News,
21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
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That term traditionally implies a nominal or even negligible sum of money, which this was not.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2025
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Cultural battles are waged over single-gender bathrooms, diversity quotas, and female sports leagues — all under the same nominal movement.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Moving safely from the clouds to this perch required a steep angle, a dexterous pilot, and passengers more afraid of missing the film festival than of death upon impact.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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That’s what happens often with folks who are afraid to take that step, to start something new or scary.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The French fashion house pointed to a slight improvement in Asia Pacific and North America sales across its Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta brands, but did not provide details on specific markets.—
Karen Gilchrist,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2025
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Last year, a pair of researchers claimed that the shockwaves of the shutdown could be felt as far as the moon, causing a slight dip in lunar surface temperatures.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For the past month, California resident Adriana, who asked to be identified by only her first name for privacy reasons, has been delivering food to families too scared to leave their homes.—
Kiara Alfonseca,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2025
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Ever since Donald Trump won the presidential election last November, kids around the country have been scared about what his promise of mass deportations might mean for them and their classmates.—
Vox Staff,
Vox,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The gals at Always Booked put together the most fantastic event down to the tiniest detail.—
American Booksellers Association,
USA TODAY,
9 Feb. 2025
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As far as we’re concerned, the fact that so much cleaning power can be packed into those tiny dishwashing pods is pure magic.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The roughly seven-minute conversation raises questions about how the misunderstanding occurred and why incorrect information was shared with an already frightened community.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2025
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Still, federal aviation officials assured frightened flyers that American airspace is among the safest places in the world to be on a plane.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near chicken
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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