cowardice
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cowardice
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cowardise, from Old French co(u)ardise; equivalent to coward + -ice
Explanation
Cowardice is a lack of bravery. If you run away screaming when your Uncle Marvin shows up to the Halloween party in a clown mask, you will betray your cowardice — particularly if you're not a child. The opposite of courageousness is cowardice. For example, not standing up for someone who's being bullied shows cowardice. The origin of the words coward and cowardice has been traced to the Latin word for "tail," coda, showing a connection with a popular phrase that describes cowardice: "walking away with their tails between their legs."
Vocabulary lists containing cowardice
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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Divergent
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"The American Crisis," Vocabulary from 1-2
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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.
I deemed this an act of maturity and self-preservation, definitely not cowardice.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
The book chronicles her "vague feelings" before the trial: "The closer it got, the more I imagined myself becoming a hostage to their stares, their lies, their cowardice, and their contempt," she wrote.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
Sentencing, the judge said Rhodes's cowardice added to his list of "malignant characteristics".
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
“Self-censorship” is what Mr. Hersh calls the flaw in so many news organizations to miss or ignore controversial stories, when what he really means is laziness and cowardice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025
It was a true account of the death before an American firing squad of Private Eddie D. Slovik, 36896415, the only American soldier to be shot for cowardice since the Civil War.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
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.
