craven

[ krey-vuhn ]

/ ˈkreɪ vən /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR craven ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

cowardly; contemptibly timid; pusillanimous.

noun

a coward.

verb (used with object)

to make cowardly.

Nearby words

Idioms

cry craven, to yield; capitulate; give up.

Origin of craven

1175–1225; Middle English cravant, cravaunde defeated < Old French craventé, past participle of cravanter to crush, overwhelm (< Vulgar Latin *crepantāre), influenced by Middle English creaunt defeated (see recreant)

SYNONYMS FOR craven

1. dastardly, fearful, timorous.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR craven ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formscra·ven·ly, adverbcra·ven·ness, nounun·cra·ven, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for craven

It might be helpful, now, if a few of these craven Republicans had the stones to say it.
You, Chris McDaniel, Are No Ned Lamont|Michael Tomasky|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe he could no longer bear the craven truth about himself.
The Killer Klansman’s Missing Years as a Federal Informant|Michael Daly|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Film stars and politicians are still bussed in to sell their products, in the most craven way possible.
Which Stephen Colbert Will We See on CBS?|Tim Teeman|April 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the President took Pelosi's way, not the highway of craven calculation.
The Indispensible Nancy Pelosi|Robert Shrum|March 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Six miles from Craven Cottage, where Fulham play their home games, is the stadium where this soccer revolution began 10 years ago.
English Premier League Is Now an American Billionaires’ Paradise|Nico Hines|July 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I flourished it before him, and pointed with one hand to the broken desk, which he had not yet observed in his craven agitation.
The Strand Magazine, Volume XVII, February 1899, No. 98.|Various
"That was well done, captain," said Craven to Hughie, as he was coolly skating back to his position.
Glengarry Schooldays|Ralph Connor
On the ground they were met by Cresford the builder, with his nephew, also Grundy with his son, and Craven his partner.
Diaries of Sir Moses and Lady Montefiore, Volume I|Sir Moses Montefiore
Craven belonged obviously to a class, although he had a strong and attractive individuality.
December Love|Robert Hichens
And it had given Craven a place in her estimation which no one had had for ten years.
December Love|Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for craven

craven

/ (ˈkreɪvən) /

adjective

cowardly; mean-spirited

noun

a coward

Derived Formscravenly, adverbcravenness, noun

Word Origin for craven

C13 cravant, probably from Old French crevant bursting, from crever to burst, die, from Latin crepāre to burst, crack

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for craven

craven

adj.

early 13c., cravant, perhaps from Old French crevante "defeated," past participle of cravanter "to strike down, to fall down," from Latin crepare "to crack, creak." Sense affected by crave and moved from "defeated" to "cowardly" (c.1400) perhaps via intermediary sense of "confess oneself defeated." Related: Cravenly; cravenness.