cowardly
Americanadjective
-
lacking courage; contemptibly timid.
- Synonyms:
- chicken-hearted , lily-livered , white-livered , fainthearted , pusillanimous , dastardly , poltroon , craven , scared , afraid , fearful
- Antonyms:
- brave
-
characteristic of or befitting a coward; despicably mean, covert, or unprincipled.
a cowardly attack on a weak, defenseless man.
adverb
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Related Words
Cowardly, timid, timorous refer to a lack of courage or self-confidence. Cowardly means weakly or basely fearful in the presence of danger: The cowardly wretch deserted his comrades in battle. Timid means lacking in boldness or self-confidence even when there is no danger present: a timid person who stood in the way of his own advancement. Timorous suggests a timidity based on an exaggeration of dangers or on an imaginary creation of dangers: timorous as a mouse.
Other Word Forms
- cowardliness noun
Etymology
Origin of cowardly
First recorded in 1325–75 cowardly for def. 3, and in 1550–60 cowardly for def. 1; Middle English adverb couardli, couarli, couherdeli, is derivative of the adjective couard coward + -ly ( def. )
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.
Det Insp MacColl added: "Their readiness to confront danger made us determined to ensure he is held to account for his cowardly actions, and I hope his conviction brings some comfort."
From BBC
In addition to disarmament, Washington is also demanding that Beirut dry up the group's funding from Iran, which slammed Sunday's "cowardly" assassination.
From Barron's
The cabinet also said it "unequivocally condemns this dastardly and cowardly act that has led to the loss of innocent lives".
From BBC
It condemned what it called a "dastardly and cowardly act that has led to the loss of innocent lives".
From Barron's
She condemned the “vile” and “cowardly” attack on Manzo, and vowed to bring the killers to justice.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
