dastardly

adjective

das·​tard·​ly ˈda-stərd-lē How to pronounce dastardly (audio)
1
2
: characterized by underhandedness or treachery
a dastardly attack
a dastardly villain
dastardliness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for dastardly

cowardly, pusillanimous, craven, dastardly mean having or showing a lack of courage.

cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage.

a cowardly failure to stand up for principle

pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage.

the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility

craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance.

secretly despised her own craven yes-men

dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous.

a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

Examples of dastardly in a Sentence

a dastardly attack on innocent civilians his dastardly conduct in a critical moment haunted him for the rest of his life
Recent Examples on the Web But certain parallels — both films are Apple releases that star Gladstone as a Native American woman forced to navigate law enforcement’s indifference to the disappearances of other Native American women and her white in-laws’ dastardly schemes — make the conversation inevitable. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 21 June 2024 In a medium that has oft been used to reinforce certain stereotypes about the Black community, Washington stands as the antithesis to those dastardly intentions, refusing to sacrifice his humanity for a paycheck. C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 16 June 2024 And yes, that would-be love story gets caught up in a dastardly murder plot that threatens England’s very sovereignty. John Ortved, Vogue, 14 June 2024 Maurice and the Panthers plainly are angry about the hit that seemed like a most dastardly, intentional effort to injure an opponent’s best players in an attempt to swing a series by the dirtiest means imaginable. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 11 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for dastardly 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dastardly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dastardly was in 1542

Dictionary Entries Near dastardly

Cite this Entry

“Dastardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dastardly. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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