as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
the pacifist was mistakenly accused of being a lily-livered coward
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Recent Examples of lily-livered
Contrary to the nationalist account, resistance has not generally been the result of America’s leaders being weak-kneed and lily-livered.
—
Ronald R. Krebs, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2017
Ronald R. Krebs, Foreign Affairs, 29 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lily-livered
Adjective
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Moving safely from the clouds to this perch required a steep angle, a dexterous pilot, and passengers more afraid of missing the film festival than of death upon impact.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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That’s what happens often with folks who are afraid to take that step, to start something new or scary.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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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
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Those clumsy tales revealed Chazelle’s pusillanimous career ambitions.—
Armond White,
National Review,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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May God comfort the families of the victims, heal the injured and protect humanity from those who dare to commit such cowardly acts of mass violence.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Jan. 2025
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Taka, the more cowardly lion, will eventually earn a name that isn’t going to surprise anybody.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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Between the lines: One view is that these actions are simply craven pandering.—
Felix Salmon,
Axios,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The roughly seven-minute conversation raises questions about how the misunderstanding occurred and why incorrect information was shared with an already frightened community.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2025
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Still, federal aviation officials assured frightened flyers that American airspace is among the safest places in the world to be on a plane.—
Jaime Moore-Carrillo,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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His spineless vice president and defense secretary then echoed Trump’s garbage.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2025
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Zuckerberg blasts Biden admin on Joe Rogan; Dave Portnoy calls CEO ‘spineless jellyfish’ Robby Soave and Lynda Tran react to Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.—
The Hill,
The Hill,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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For the past month, California resident Adriana, who asked to be identified by only her first name for privacy reasons, has been delivering food to families too scared to leave their homes.—
Kiara Alfonseca,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2025
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Ever since Donald Trump won the presidential election last November, kids around the country have been scared about what his promise of mass deportations might mean for them and their classmates.—
Vox Staff,
Vox,
7 Feb. 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
Thesaurus Entries Near lily-livered
Cite this Entry
“Lily-livered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lily-livered. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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