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
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
The Lion’s Tail is a transitional drink that tastes like if a Jamaican jerk chicken and a Whiskey Sour couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2025
Place chicken into the buttermilk mixture, mix to coat the chicken and soak for 2-4 hours or overnight.
—Jessica Fields, Essence, 28 Feb. 2025
The outbreak has also led to the death of millions of egg-laying chickens in the U.S. – either from infection or culling of flocks.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
Then, a few days later, the chicken surprised her in the best of ways.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
The Lion’s Tail is a transitional drink that tastes like if a Jamaican jerk chicken and a Whiskey Sour couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2025
Place chicken into the buttermilk mixture, mix to coat the chicken and soak for 2-4 hours or overnight.
—Jessica Fields, Essence, 28 Feb. 2025
The outbreak has also led to the death of millions of egg-laying chickens in the U.S. – either from infection or culling of flocks.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
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This is a cop novel that fully satisfies its genre expectations — chases, gun battles, sinister bad guys, questionable cops, cowards and heroes.—
Claude Peck,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2025
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If Republicans refuse to do that, then their constituents can rest assured that their representatives are cowards and liars.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2025
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
-
Recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump says Musk heads despite another nominal administrator, led to firing tens of thousands of workers and targeted more.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
9 Mar. 2025
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The exposures listed on the initial holdings list do add up to more than 100%, with nominal bonds as the biggest category.—
Jesse Pound,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Go Dark Don't be afraid to add bits of gothic drama to bring a moody, mysterious sense to your home.—
Maggie Gillette,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Mar. 2025
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However, don’t be afraid to use that monogram from your invitation suite.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Here, again, there were slight differences in the responses when broken down by party affiliation.—
Brendan Rascius,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2025
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Like the inclusion of the new music, the omission of the prince storyline shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying even the slightest attention to the controversies plaguing the production of Snow White for the past few years.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As the scream queen, there’s a role that Sam’s character can play, either angry at Paul, fighting back, or super scared.—
Barry Levitt,
Rolling Stone,
15 Mar. 2025
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TikTok is eating our lunch, and executives are scared.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Instead of worksheets and textbooks, children practice adding and subtracting with tiny toy bears.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
17 Mar. 2025
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Pollen Pollen is a powdery substance made of tiny grains that plants release to propagate.—
Nancy LeBrun,
Verywell Health,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Inside, the staff scrambles for cover and a frightened woman and child are seen hiding behind a buffet counter.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2025
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Staying apolitical in his work, Lynch expressed the personal idiosyncrasy that reflected his upbringing in Midwest America (born in Missoula, Mont., and of Finnish-Danish heritage) as well as his private, frightened knowledge of national terror.—
Armond White,
National Review,
17 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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