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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  

[kou-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  

[kou-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

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

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

“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

"Stop being a coward and take Estevao off, it's not fair," rival parents would complain.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

But even while Charlie longs to recross the wine dark sea to America, he ought to take solace in Homer’s words: “No man or woman born, coward or brave, can shun his destiny.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

I am thankful for all the arcane references to pop culture I have at my disposal to frame the workings of a true coward like Hegseth.

From Salon ● Nov. 28, 2025

Let’s face it: I’ve always been a coward, preferring to hide behind my sketchbook or iPod.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Nyuk, nyuk, as Noël Coward used to say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Baranski has previously appeared in several other Coward plays, such as Fumed Oak, Private Lives and Blithe Spirit.

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

“Hold up. Coward? That’s how he wrote me?”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

"I think the other parties were cowards not to stand," said Mary Williams, who travelled to Clacton from Wales to support Farage.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Instead, like cowards, they cast around for weaker parties to victimize.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

Decades ago, people who buckled their seat belts were thought to be signaling that they were cowards, afraid of getting in a crash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025

Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value” “I haven’t even seen ‘Jay Kelly’ yet, but give Adam Sandler his nomination, you cowards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025

“Some will. Not all. We have our cowards and our knaves, our weaklings and our fools, as do they.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

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