lily-livered

American

[lil-ee-liv-erd] / ˈlɪl iˈlɪv ərd /

adjective

weak or lacking in courage; cowardly; pusillanimous.

lily-livered British

adjective

cowardly; timid

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lily-livered

First recorded in 1595–1605; lily + liver ¹ + -ed ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

lily-livered

He won't be so hobbled by his lily-livered inability to give a direct order next time, because, frankly, he won't have to.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2022

If that happens, they can point to their lily-livered observations and say, “See, we knew it all along.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2021

The genre, notorious in the past for its domineering heroes and lily-livered heroines, “really did evolve” over time.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 30, 2020

And I haven’t even mentioned Michael Russotto, who plays a lily-livered, easily seduced investor who has eyes only for his payout.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2019

“Be quiet, you lily-livered Mellower!” said Mrs. Horsepool- Worthingham, using her special voice.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023