Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pusillanimous

American  
[pyoo-suh-lan-uh-muhs] / ˌpyu səˈlæn ə məs /

adjective

  1. lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.

    Synonyms:
    frightened, fearful, timorous

  2. proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

pusillanimous British  
/ ˌpjuːsɪləˈnɪmɪtɪ, ˌpjuːsɪˈlænɪməs /

adjective

  1. characterized by a lack of courage or determination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • pusillanimity noun
  • pusillanimously adverb

Etymology

Origin of pusillanimous

1580–90; < Late Latin pusillanimis petty-spirited, equivalent to Latin pusill ( us ) very small, petty + -anim ( is ) -spirited, -minded ( anim ( us ) spirit + -is adj. suffix); -ous

Definitions 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.