white-livered
Americanadjective
-
lacking courage; cowardly; lily-livered.
-
lacking in vitality or spirit; pale; unhealthy.
adjective
-
lacking in spirit or courage
-
pallid and unhealthy in appearance
Etymology
Origin of white-livered
First recorded in 1540–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That will separate the men from the boys, the ones with guts and the ones too white-livered to face Hoffa and his racketeers.
From Time Magazine Archive
For Bardolph,—he is white-livered and red-faced; by the means whereof ’a faces it out, but fights not.
From King Henry the Fifth Arranged for Representation at the Princess's Theatre by Kean, Charles John
By my troth, Arnold," said Dauntrees, as they strode forward, "although we jest at yonder white-livered vintner, this matter we have in hand might excuse an ague in a stouter man.
From Rob of the Bowl, Vol. I (of 2) A Legend of St. Inigoe's by Kennedy, John P.
The deacon knew how his brother-official was ruled by his wife, and lustily despised the white-livered caitiff for his pusillanimity.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 11 by Wilson, John Mackay
I would not trust them further than the canaille itself; they are a white-livered lot in spite of their gaudy uniforms.
From Robert Tournay A Romance of the French Revolution by Sage, William
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.
