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• coward
  coward

  noun

  a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.
• Coward
  Coward

  noun

  Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright, author, actor, and composer.

coward

¹ American  

[kau-erd] / ˈkaʊ ərd /

noun

• cowards
  plural

1. a person who lacks courage in facing danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.; a timid or easily intimidated person.

   Synonyms:

   milksop, recreant, dastard, poltroon, craven

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adjective

1. lacking courage; very fearful or timid.

2. proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity.

   a coward cry.

Coward ² American  

[kau-erd] / ˈkaʊ ərd /

noun

1. Noel, 1899–1973, English playwright, author, actor, and composer.

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Coward ¹ British  

/ ˈkaʊəd /

noun

1. Sir Noël ( Pierce ). 1899–1973, English dramatist, actor, and composer, noted for his sophisticated comedies, which include Private Lives (1930) and Blithe Spirit (1941)

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coward ² British  

/ ˈkaʊəd /

noun

1. a person who shrinks from or avoids danger, pain, or difficulty

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cowards
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of coward

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French couard-, couart “cowardly,” from coue “tail” (from Latin cauda, cōda ) + -art -ard

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Explanation

A coward is someone who’s afraid of doing something daring or dangerous. Skydiving might sound exciting in theory, but you might be a coward when it comes to actually jumping out of a plane. Which is probably wise. Coward comes from the Latin word couda, meaning “tail.” Have you ever seen a scared puppy with its tail between its legs? That’s what people who are cowards would be doing if they had tails. Being afraid of something dangerous might make someone a coward, but the word can also describe someone who avoids doing something difficult or unpleasant. If your boss makes his assistant deliver the unpleasant news about layoffs, you might call him a coward.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coward Coward cowards

The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh called her “the biggest coward in the history of sports.”

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

In Jefferson’s mind Henry was a lazy lightweight, Hamilton a monarchist and a coward, Burr an insurrectionist and Marshall an implacable foe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

“We wanted everyone to see what a complete and utter coward he is once you remove his powers, pretty much like every autocrat and strongman,” Kripke says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

"A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him," the first lady added on Monday.

From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026

Sounds like “I’m honorable” and “You’re a coward if you don’t accept.”

From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Experiencing Coward outdoors on a summer night is both an amusing delight and an expositional slog.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

It's more unusual for a US actress to play the part, but Coward actually based the character on an American he'd met at a dinner party in 1921.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

News of a special dinner guest, superstar playwright Noël Coward, transforms Daisy into an Iron Chef: “Well, tonight he’s getting Coquilles Saint-Jacques and Gressingham Duck, and he better like it.”

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

At Memphis, Cedric Coward went 6-for-6 from three-point range and scored a game-high 27 points off the bench to lead the host Grizzlies over Indiana 128-103.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2025

Coward, his father said, his voice full of derision.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

"These cowards can do absolutely nothing to us."

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

In one Novosibirsk college, a director was recorded calling students cowards for refusing to sign contracts.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

And the likeliest one is also the simplest: They’re cowards.

From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2026

Guadagnino’s driving interest is attacking academia as a rat’s nest of egomaniacs and cowards and insular, faux-radical thinking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2025

They are brave with their friends; with their enemies, they are cowards.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

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