Synonyms

cowed

American

[koud] / kaʊd /

adjective

frightened by threats, violence, superior strength or ability, etc.; intimidated or overawed.

No, I’m not worried about going up against the chess champion—what do you take me for, an easily cowed novice?

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of cow.

Other Word Forms

uncowed adjective

Etymology

Origin of cowed

First recorded in 1740–50; cow ² ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; cow ² ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

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.

The Battle of Isandlwana, fought during the Anglo-Zulu war, is something many Zulus wear like a badge of honour: they fought against a foreign army and won - the foreigners were cowed.

From BBC

Progress, as he understood it, meant refusing to be cowed by fear—a resolve he said he first witnessed among Jamaican anticolonial activists, and later on the front lines of the civil-rights movement.

From The Wall Street Journal

Apparently cowed by the regime's display of raw, indiscriminate power, such a bold move by the opposition seems, for now at least, highly unlikely.

From BBC

Powell’s statement Sunday signaled he is refusing to be cowed, which means, for now, interest-rate policy shouldn’t change.

From The Wall Street Journal

Rather than being cowed by the crowd, Newcastle made an aggressive start.

From BBC

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