as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a staunch hawk during the drumbeat for war, he proved to be a chicken when it came to actually fighting it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yellow
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
too chicken to go through with the stunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
just concentrate on the important duties of the job and forget about the chicken stuff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chicken
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025
In this game of high-stakes chicken with one side waiting for the other to blink, Stafford’s compensation will be determined before eggs retreat from their lofty prices.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Some medications are in development, but nothing can cure chickens with bird flu.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
Customers were 'like family' Frontier Airlines launches nonstop service from CT airport with fares as low as $49
Popular fast food chicken chain applies for permit to open another location in CT
Winter storm watch issued for parts of CT.
—Mark Maglio, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
The lawsuit includes other examples that purport to show this happening with ham, chicken, pork and cheese at various Publix stores.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025
In this game of high-stakes chicken with one side waiting for the other to blink, Stafford’s compensation will be determined before eggs retreat from their lofty prices.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Some medications are in development, but nothing can cure chickens with bird flu.
—Jen Christensen, CNN, 25 Feb. 2025
Customers were 'like family' Frontier Airlines launches nonstop service from CT airport with fares as low as $49
Popular fast food chicken chain applies for permit to open another location in CT
Winter storm watch issued for parts of CT.
—Mark Maglio, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
The employees are spoiled and the investors are cowards.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
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Meanwhile, Democrats — who are usually cowards when the subject is race — are afraid to defend DEI.—
Ruben Navarrette,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The look features bright coral eyeshadow covering the eyelid, a fuchsia shade in the crease, and a swipe of fluorescent yellow eyeliner on the outside half of the eye and right under the brow.—
Andrea Park,
Teen Vogue,
20 July 2017
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Three prominent Austin chefs teamed up with the Youngblood family to build a new restaurant from scratch that looks like a legacy chicken dinner house, down to the bright blue-and-yellow colors and the helpings of hot yeast rolls with honey.—
Bud Kennedy,
star-telegram,
19 July 2017
Adjective
-
Howe used four different left-backs last term, mainly fielding Dan Burn there (a nominal centre-back at 6ft 7in/201cm), while Newcastle were the most one-sided team in the league for crosses — over 60 per cent came from the right.—
Liam Tharme,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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Out of all of the foreign investment sources that have pumped cash into South Florida real estate, financial institutions, and new businesses over the years, Saudi Arabia is a nation that at best has a nominal presence in the region.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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In his four years in charge of the Mavericks, Harrison hasn’t been afraid to take big swings.—
C. Clark, M. Vorkunov and F. Katz,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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Moving safely from the clouds to this perch required a steep angle, a dexterous pilot, and passengers more afraid of missing the film festival than of death upon impact.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This scale ranks objects from 0, meaning no impact, to 10, which is (ok, this is a slight exaggeration) nearly as bad as the destruction of Alderaan in Star Wars.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
24 Feb. 2025
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The agency also shared that the new data suggested that the asteroid had a 1.7% chance of hitting the moon, but those slight odds of impact do not pose a risk to Earth.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Ingram had to miss the final 19 games of the regular season, but the Pelicans weren’t scared away by the issue.—
Shane Young,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
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The Europeans seem presently more hurt than scared.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For almost a quarter century, Randy Bennett has turned this tiny Catholic college from an also-ran to a perennial NCAA Tournament team.—
Brett Koremenos,
The Athletic,
21 Feb. 2025
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If another clot develops, athletes might get surgery to remove the first rib and insert a tiny balloon in the blood vessel to open it up, Hofmann says.—
Lisa Rapaport,
EverydayHealth.com,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Why do so many people love to be frightened and unnerved?—
Jeremy Engle,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2025
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But can dogs actually be frightened of heights like some humans?—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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