cowering 1 of 2

present participle of cower
as in cringing
to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission the abused dog always cowered in the presence of its master

Synonyms & Similar Words

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cowering

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 cowering
Adjective
The staff member can be seen cowering down to fend off the attack and then turns and squares up to the irate passenger, who’s wearing a green colored top and army green pants. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 29 Nov. 2024 The trauma of war is ever-present in Honda's vision, which sees citizens fleeing for their lives and cowering in the rubble of their homes. Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Neither do the cowering members of Slough House. Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024 Hence the obtuse rabbis, the cowering Uncle Yasha, and, in Aliyah of the 1990s, the naked Russian woman, presumably a prostitute, presenting herself doggy-style. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowering
Adjective
  • For starters, bond markets have become far less submissive, and long-term interest rates have risen sharply on ten- and 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds.
    Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Even the European Union, which bent over backward to offer concessions — pledging to somehow mobilize billions for American weapons, investments and gas purchases, despite having a highly questionable capacity for doing so — wasn’t submissive enough.
    Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Where Chelsea’s domestic overseers have been largely acquiescent to their accounting ingenuity, the same can’t be said abroad.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Netanyahu appears convinced that his country’s security, along with his own political survival, depends on prolonging the military offensives and keeping both Gaza and Lebanon ungovernable, and therefore acquiescent.
    Mohanad Hage Ali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative, where an individual tends to give up on their own needs and acquiesce to the desires of others by disengaging from the situation altogether.
    Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.
    Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Business owners would have until 2027 to be compliant with new regulations.
    Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
  • These vehicles are not compliant with certain requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, according to the recall.
    Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • When zero hour arrived, on a muggy Thursday afternoon, her manner was one of resigned acquiescence.
    Ned Zeman, Outside, 14 Nov. 2021
  • Just 14 yards on resigned run plays were, however, according to Pro Football Focus.
    Oliver Thomas, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In so doing, the courts largely cast aside a century of jurisprudence in which courts were deferential to the Commissioners’ role as guardians of their leagues.
    Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Alston also gave the Court an opportunity to clarify the NCAA is not owed a deferential standard of review on antitrust claims.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • These prices tend to reflect the higher yielding asking price versus the lower yielding bid price.
    Barnet Sherman, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024
  • Net interest income for the quarter was $72.2 million, compared to $62.2 million in the previous year, driven by growth in higher yielding loans, primarily from CCBX.
    Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Cowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowering. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.

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