pusillanimous
- lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.
- proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.
Origin of pusillanimous
Synonyms for pusillanimous
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for pusillanimous
Contemporary Examples of pusillanimous
But on this issue of Haredi service his pusillanimous silence has been disappointing and self-defeating.
Historical Examples of pusillanimous
It is a pusillanimous desertion of our work to gaze after our neighbors.
Essays, First SeriesRalph Waldo Emerson
Catharine was glad to have the pusillanimous Charles out of the way.
Henry IV, Makers of HistoryJohn S. C. Abbott
A blind faith is only one remove from a pusillanimous skepticism.
Christianity and Greek PhilosophyBenjamin Franklin Cocker
He was of a mean appearance, and, like his father, pusillanimous to a degree.
The Romany RyeGeorge Borrow
The senators seemed to take a pleasure in pusillanimous adulation.
Darkness and DawnFrederic W. Farrar
pusillanimous
- characterized by a lack of courage or determination
Word Origin for pusillanimous
Word Origin and History for pusillanimous
early 15c., from Late Latin pusillanimis "having little courage" (used in Church Latin to translate Greek oligopsychos "small-souled"), from Latin pusillis "very weak, little" (diminutive of pullus "young animal;" see foal (n.)) + animus "spirit, courage" (see animus). Related: Pusillanimously; pusillanimousness.