1
as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
a spineless man who let his wife make all the decisions
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2
as in cowardly
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
spineless seamen who trembled at the first roar of the cannon
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Recent Examples of spineless
To the grave disappointment of the Iranian people and government, Europe has proved too inept and spineless to mitigate the effect of U.S. withdrawal by honoring its commitments under the JCPOA.
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Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2019
There was a time when the department would have pushed back on such drivel, but with a spineless, left-lib commissioner, that didn’t happen.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024
The ceremony honors achievements, not in which film had the most spineless husband, but the film arts and technology, with Oppenheimer nabbing 13 nominations, followed by Poor Thingsat its heels with 11 nods.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
As events veer into seemingly dangerous territory, Baker spices up the scenes with throwaway humor that keeps the film buoyant, even as Ani gets a rude awakening about the shallowness of spineless Ivan’s feelings for her, let alone his respect.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for spineless 
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Foreign Affairs, 12 July 2019
There was a time when the department would have pushed back on such drivel, but with a spineless, left-lib commissioner, that didn’t happen.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024
The ceremony honors achievements, not in which film had the most spineless husband, but the film arts and technology, with Oppenheimer nabbing 13 nominations, followed by Poor Thingsat its heels with 11 nods.
—Zoe Guy, Vulture, 10 Mar. 2024
As events veer into seemingly dangerous territory, Baker spices up the scenes with throwaway humor that keeps the film buoyant, even as Ani gets a rude awakening about the shallowness of spineless Ivan’s feelings for her, let alone his respect.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for spineless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spineless
Adjective
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Of Vegas’ last eight games, six were at home and all eight were against some of the league’s weakest teams.Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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China’s persistently low consumer inflation indicates that China is struggling with weak domestic demand, stoking fears of deflation.Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Social media has erupted with praise for this cowardly attack.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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The cowardly cook will turn to squid as a replacement, but only cuttlefish deliver the essential alien squirm, and the relevant recipes are a treat.Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024
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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However, the cozy and soft feel of the fabric is ideal for chillier temps.Kelsey Glennon, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2025
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As the discipline matures, soft skills such as communication and cross-functional teamwork will prove just as critical as technical acumen.Srikanta Datta, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Starship Troopers actress is afraid of heights and was even called out by her instructors for always being terrified about the extreme assignments that she and the other celebrity recruits were given.EW.com, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2025
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Some children might regress to an earlier stage of development, becoming afraid of going to school and leaving their parents.Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The main one is that the powerbrokers in the MLB offices are craven, and their souls have been replaced with line graphs going up and up and up.Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 18 July 2024
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To keep Kiara's mind off things, Rafiki tells the story of young Mufasa (Aaron Pierre), who got washed away from his family by a huge flood and was saved by Taka (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), the prince of his pride who shows early signs of his craven nature and eventual heel turn as Scar.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
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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For the 34th time in two years cops have been called by frightened neighbors or Hollis herself to quell the volcanic quarrels inside Peppermill Apartments unit B-312.Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Jan. 2025
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My friends were confused by my abrupt stop and the frightened and befuddled look on my face — except for one, whose eyes were also bulging wide.Thomas Wheatley, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Spineless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spineless. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
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