spineless
Americanadjective
-
having no spines or quills.
-
having no spine or backbone.
-
having a weak spine; limp.
-
without moral force, resolution, or courage; feeble.
a spineless, lily-livered coward.
- Synonyms:
- indecisive, irresolute, weak
adjective
-
lacking a backbone; invertebrate
-
having no spiny processes
spineless stems
-
lacking strength of character, resolution, or courage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spineless
Explanation
If you're spineless, you're weak or cowardly — or both. It would be spineless to watch a bully pick on someone much smaller and not try to intervene. You can certainly use this adjective to literally mean "lacking a spine," and you might if you're talking about invertebrates like the spineless forest lizard or the Garo spineless eel. It's more common to call people spineless as a derogatory way of commenting on their weakness. A spineless superhero is too scared to confront the bad guys, and a spineless politician avoids conversation with critical constituents.
Vocabulary lists containing spineless
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
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Nim's Island
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 4)
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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.
But then after my book Spineless, about jellyfish, came out in 2019, I'd sort of found an audience.
From Salon • May 14, 2022
The new owners of the Cracked and Spineless bookshop discovered the journal in a pile of old books tucked away in a cupboard.
From BBC • May 9, 2016
Of these the two which I have seen most of are the Hathaway and the Spineless.
From Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Fourth Annual Meeting Washington D.C. November 18 and 19, 1913 by Northern Nut Growers Association
Spineless cactus is in no way comparable with alfalfa, either in nutritive content or in value of crop, providing you have land and water which will produce a good product of alfalfa.
From One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered by Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
