spineless
Americanadjective
-
having no spines or quills.
-
having no spine or backbone.
-
having a weak spine; limp.
-
without moral force, resolution, or courage; feeble.
a spineless, lily-livered coward.
- Synonyms:
- indecisive, irresolute, weak
adjective
-
lacking a backbone; invertebrate
-
having no spiny processes
spineless stems
-
lacking strength of character, resolution, or courage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spineless
Explanation
If you're spineless, you're weak or cowardly — or both. It would be spineless to watch a bully pick on someone much smaller and not try to intervene. You can certainly use this adjective to literally mean "lacking a spine," and you might if you're talking about invertebrates like the spineless forest lizard or the Garo spineless eel. It's more common to call people spineless as a derogatory way of commenting on their weakness. A spineless superhero is too scared to confront the bad guys, and a spineless politician avoids conversation with critical constituents.
Vocabulary lists containing spineless
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka
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Nim's Island
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Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 4)
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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.
When Callum McGregor eviscerated his own team-mates in the wake of Celtic's stupefying Champions League collapse against LASK, he delivered their one coherent moment of a spineless night.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Maybe people do it out of desperation,” she told me, “but it’s spineless and demoralizing.”
From Slate ● Jan. 20, 2026
As per Margaret Hartmann with New York Magazine's Intelligencer, the gift is "peak spineless groveling."
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2025
But they and other invertebrates are the spineless backbones of ecosystems, playing critical roles as pollinators, predators, prey and decomposers.
From New York Times ● May 28, 2024
Those spineless types who talk about abolishing the apostrophe are missing the point, and the pun is very much intended.
From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
