as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a craven who ran away and left everyone else behind to deal with the crisis
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of craven
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
Scheider returns as Amity Island’s beleaguered police chief, a man still forced to work with Murray Hamilton’s craven mayor, who’s somehow kept his job after keeping the beaches open during the last shark attack.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 June 2025
The disconnect between Trump’s stagings of brute force is striking and more than a little worrisome for those who have long thought civilian control of the military would have stopped such a craven choice.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 11 June 2025
To abet Trump’s fake reality, the craven House Republicans refused to put up a plaque honoring the police officers and others who defended the Capitol that awful day.
—Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for craven
Adjective
Unlike the Founders who risked their lives, this bunch, with precious few exceptions, is too craven to risk even their jobs.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2025
Scheider returns as Amity Island’s beleaguered police chief, a man still forced to work with Murray Hamilton’s craven mayor, who’s somehow kept his job after keeping the beaches open during the last shark attack.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 21 June 2025
The disconnect between Trump’s stagings of brute force is striking and more than a little worrisome for those who have long thought civilian control of the military would have stopped such a craven choice.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 11 June 2025
To abet Trump’s fake reality, the craven House Republicans refused to put up a plaque honoring the police officers and others who defended the Capitol that awful day.
—Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for craven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craven
Adjective
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When people aren’t afraid to flag phishing emails, report missteps or question suspicious behavior, organizations become more adaptive and resilient.—
Aliasgar Dohadwala,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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According to new research from SoFi, 44% of students and parents feel uninformed about student loans but are probably too afraid to ask questions.—
Brian Walsh,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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So this coward had to fire from outside of the church, through the church windows and into the church.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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According to Boxing called Davis a coward for his decision.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Now innocent children are dying because so many people were too cowardly to speak up.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
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The rest of the statement was full of equally cowardly equivocation.—
Sahar Mustafah
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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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
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Families are scared of being torn apart.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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Ain’t nobody scared of them boys.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Using towels and a garden hose fitted with a piece of wood, the rescuers guided the frightened kitten through the winding pipes.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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When 17 children from one classroom inexplicably run out into the night, a frightened insular community starts pointing fingers at their young schoolteacher (Julia Garner) and the sole survivor, Alex (Cary Christopher).—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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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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Played by a sniveling Casey Siemaszko, Billy is spineless and spiteful.—
Sezin Devi Koehler September 1,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Rather than feigned civility or spineless compromise, a strong response to this prompt will show that a student has integrity and conviction, but is willing to grow and interrogate their ideas through engagement with others.—
Christopher Rim,
Forbes.com,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Craven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craven. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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