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.

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

From BBC

He scurried behind her like a shadow, looking thoroughly cowed.

From Literature

"But we will not be intimidated. We will not be cowed."

From Barron's

He’s built a balanced program that can beat you with offense or defense and isn’t the least bit cowed by a marquee opponent.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Show we are not cowed. As Jews we always rebuild. We always recover, we always return stronger," Rabbi Daniel Walker said after the attack on his synagogue.

From BBC

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