Jump To:

• coward
  coward

  noun

  a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.
• Coward
  Coward

  noun

  Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright, author, actor, and composer.

coward

¹ American  

[kou-erd] / ˈkaʊ ərd /

noun

• cowards
  plural

1. a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

   Synonyms:

   milksop, recreant, dastard, poltroon, craven

---

adjective

1. lacking courage; very fearful or timid.

2. proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity.

   a coward cry.

Coward ² American  

[kou-erd] / ˈkaʊ ərd /

noun

1. Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright, author, actor, and composer.

---

Coward ¹ British  

/ ˈkaʊəd /

noun

1. Sir Noël ( Pierce ). 1899–1973, English dramatist, actor, and composer, noted for his sophisticated comedies, which include Private Lives (1930) and Blithe Spirit (1941)

---

coward ² British  

/ ˈkaʊəd /

noun

1. a person who shrinks from or avoids danger, pain, or difficulty

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cowards
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coward

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French couard-, couart “cowardly,” from coue “tail” (from Latin cauda, cōda ) + -art -ard

Explanation

A coward is someone who’s afraid of doing something daring or dangerous. Skydiving might sound exciting in theory, but you might be a coward when it comes to actually jumping out of a plane. Which is probably wise. Coward comes from the Latin word couda, meaning “tail.” Have you ever seen a scared puppy with its tail between its legs? That’s what people who are cowards would be doing if they had tails. Being afraid of something dangerous might make someone a coward, but the word can also describe someone who avoids doing something difficult or unpleasant. If your boss makes his assistant deliver the unpleasant news about layoffs, you might call him a coward.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coward Coward cowards

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called her “the biggest coward in the history of sports.”

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

In Jefferson’s mind Henry was a lazy lightweight, Hamilton a monarchist and a coward, Burr an insurrectionist and Marshall an implacable foe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

But Reilly, who calls himself a coward and claims to be no hero, regards his mutant abilities as “a part of me I wish never existed. With no power, there’s no responsibility.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

"Today, we won't reflect on the loss of a coward," said the Police Association of Victoria.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

“Why do you not climb into it yourself? Surely you are bold enough. Or are you a coward at heart, when the test is put upon you?”

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

Nyuk, nyuk, as Noël Coward used to say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Experiencing Coward outdoors on a summer night is both an amusing delight and an expositional slog.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Ja Morant responded with 40 points for the Grizzlies, while rookie Cedric Coward added a career-high 28 points, but the hosts fell to back-to-back defeats.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

News of a special dinner guest, superstar playwright Noël Coward, transforms Daisy into an Iron Chef: “Well, tonight he’s getting Coquilles Saint-Jacques and Gressingham Duck, and he better like it.”

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

Coward, his father said, his voice full of derision.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

"I think the other parties were cowards not to stand," said Mary Williams, who travelled to Clacton from Wales to support Farage.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Instead, like cowards, they cast around for weaker parties to victimize.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

The Brazil forward, who has been the victim of numerous incidents of racist abuse during his playing career, said "racists are, above all, cowards" in a post on Instagram.

From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026

Breaking ranks in a constitutional democracy may not incur the same risks as in a totalitarian regime, but revising the dictionary of received ideas isn’t for cowards in any society.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025

“Juniper’s waiting for me. It’s a good thing she finds cowards attractive.”

From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• wimp