coward 1 of 2

as in craven
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger the soldiers who ran as soon as the first shots were fired were branded as cowards

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

coward

2 of 2

adjective

Example 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 coward
Adjective
Today’s Republican Party is a bunch of weak, spineless cowards who cower in obedient terror at Trump’s feet. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 12 July 2025 Now, all of these cowards that were too scared to give us a chance [want to work with us] because there’s no risk involved anymore. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 2 July 2025 With rising apprehension, the Cabinet kept deliberating for a couple of days while Sumner did his best to shut down jingoistic rhetoric in the Senate from politicians who demanded that Lincoln not be a coward in the face of Great Britain. Zaakir Tameez june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025 Because these cowards fear being doxed for their inhumane and unconscionable actions. Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for coward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coward
Adjective
  • Now innocent children are dying because so many people were too cowardly to speak up.
    Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The rest of the statement was full of equally cowardly equivocation.
    Sahar Mustafah August 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Use hot sausage or chicken sausage for a different flavor profile.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Made with lean chicken, organic apples, and warm spices, these $5 sausages strike the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
    Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Listen, by doing it this way, with a press release instead of a press conference, Rose looks both gutless and gutty at the same time.
    Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 6 June 2025
  • Two baseballs flew down toward the San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar from the left-field corner stands, the gutless moves of two cowards.
    Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
  • The second believed the United States could attain comprehensive security through military-technological means and saw diplomacy as a quixotic or pusillanimous enterprise that dishonored and weakened the country.
    A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • There are lots of good rebuttals to this craven move.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Texas Governor Greg Abbott is under severe pressure from President Donald Trump to restart one of the most craven and self-destructive practices of American politics in the 21st century: predatory gerrymandering.
    Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coward. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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