as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of craven
Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
Fresh off a terrifying election cycle that feels like a fever dream (or the most craven Ryan Murphy series), America in 2025 is downright disorienting.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2025
Trump has already turned a national tragedy into a craven, baseless political attack by blaming DEI programs at the FAA and past administrations.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Between the lines: One view is that these actions are simply craven pandering.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for craven
Adjective
From the ground, the social-media response looked self-interested and craven, a reminder of the dissonance between the two realities.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
Fresh off a terrifying election cycle that feels like a fever dream (or the most craven Ryan Murphy series), America in 2025 is downright disorienting.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2025
Trump has already turned a national tragedy into a craven, baseless political attack by blaming DEI programs at the FAA and past administrations.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Between the lines: One view is that these actions are simply craven pandering.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for craven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craven
Adjective
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While taking your room’s layout and square footage into account, don't be afraid to think outside the box: how can your sitting room function for you?—
Shivani Vyas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Mar. 2025
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Pay attention to your customers, listen closely, and don’t be afraid to test small, strategic changes.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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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Denying students access to our complete history is fundamentally cowardly.—
Britt Hogue,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Feb. 2025
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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
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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Most lawyers will be too scared of retaliation to even bring lawsuits challenging Trump’s actions.—
Ian Millhiser,
Vox,
29 Mar. 2025
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The pup, Butter, was filmed in September of last year looking scared and nervous around her new kitty sibling, keeping her distance from the feline and hiding away in her owner's arms, as if terrified of the new addition to the family.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 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
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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Make no mistake: New York's seniors are paying the price for Lawler's weak and spineless leadership.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
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Duplass’ Michael is a dud, sorta sweet but totally spineless.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Craven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craven. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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