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pusillanimity

[ pyoo-suh-luh-nim-i-tee ]

/ ˌpyu sə ləˈnɪm ɪ ti /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR pusillanimity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the state or condition of being pusillanimous; timidity; cowardliness.

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a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.

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Origin of pusillanimity

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word pusillanimitās. See pusillanimous, -ity

Words nearby pusillanimity

pushpin, pushrod, pushto, pushtu, pushy, pusillanimity, pusillanimous, puskas, puss, puss in the corner, puss moth

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for pusillanimity

Once again, Republican pusillanimity in the face of gun fanaticism threatens to gut sane gun legislation in Congress.
Pro-Gun Absolutism: The Gun Lobby’s Push to Privatize Law and Order|Will Marshall|April 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps he had heard of Winch's pusillanimity, and understood the spirit which prompted Frank to fill his place.
The Drummer Boy|John Trowbridge
We think one custom the result of pusillanimity, when the nerves are relaxed and our bodies fatigued.
Letters To Eugenia|Paul Henri Thiry Holbach
In all this there is great moral cowardice, pusillanimity, and want of manly independence of character.
Character|Samuel Smiles

"'Twill be a sort of decent suicide without the element of pusillanimity," he thought to himself.
The Grandissimes|George Washington Cable
Prague was not irretrievably lost when Frederick's pusillanimity abandoned it.
The Thirty Years War, Complete|Friedrich Schiller

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