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
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as in cowardly
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Recent Examples of coward
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, Democrats — who are usually cowards when the subject is race — are afraid to defend DEI.
—Ruben Navarrette, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
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
This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for coward
Noun
The employees are spoiled and the investors are cowards.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
Meanwhile, Democrats — who are usually cowards when the subject is race — are afraid to defend DEI.
—Ruben Navarrette, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
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
This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
—Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 21 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for coward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coward
Adjective
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Two beloved members of the Tijuana journalism community were killed in two separate cowardly attacks.—
Tania Navarro,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
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Playing Switzerland is a dangerous game for a Housewife — never choosing a side is seen as a cowardly position that quickly wears thin.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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For example, making too many cars reduces their price, while not producing enough eggs raises egg prices, solved only by increasing the supply (invest in chickens).—
William Dunkelberg,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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Collagen supplements mainly come from animal sources, such as chicken, porcine (pig), bovine (cow), and marine (seafood) sources.2 Food allergies or dietary restrictions related to kosher, halal, vegan, or vegetarian dietary patterns might dictate which supplement is best for you.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And the really jaw-dropping part of AMLO’s gutless abdication?—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2024
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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
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There was no fanfare — indeed no announcement or change in Oscar rules — but a firestorm of controversy resulted, followed by the Academy’s cowardly, pusillanimous silence on the issue.—
Armond White,
National Review,
5 Mar. 2025
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Mark Kelly Americans who are rightfully appalled by the pusillanimous response to anti-Semitism on college campuses have been pulling their donations and calling for restrictions on anti-Israel student groups.—
Arthur Levitt,
WSJ,
12 Nov. 2023
Adjective
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In any event Marshall, a craven idiot, is a raucous, vulgar sendup of the bedrock American principle of Manifest Destiny.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
7 Mar. 2025
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Actors as skillful as Ruffalo and Toni Collette, the craven leader Marshall’s imperious wife, come off pretty pushy here.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coward. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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