as in craven
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
the soldiers who ran as soon as the first shots were fired were branded as cowards
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as in cowardly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of coward
Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
The Vikings are cowards who didn't take a viking ship.
—Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 4 Oct. 2024
William quickly places Ian under arrest for assaulting an officer, as Rachel calls him a coward.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) Bob Hope didn’t so much play characters as variations on the Bob Hope persona, a wisecracking coward with a tendency to get in way over his head then make matters worse for himself.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for coward
Noun
But then Gi-hun could die looking down on him as both a dog and a coward.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
The Vikings are cowards who didn't take a viking ship.
—Nick Suss, The Tennessean, 4 Oct. 2024
William quickly places Ian under arrest for assaulting an officer, as Rachel calls him a coward.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) Bob Hope didn’t so much play characters as variations on the Bob Hope persona, a wisecracking coward with a tendency to get in way over his head then make matters worse for himself.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for coward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coward
Adjective
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Nothing is spared in recounting their odious criminal acts and the cowardly machinations of the church’s leadership to hide them.—
Mary Jo McConahay,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2025
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May God comfort the families of the victims, heal the injured and protect humanity from those who dare to commit such cowardly acts of mass violence.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Place chicken into the buttermilk mixture, mix to coat the chicken and soak for 2-4 hours or overnight.—
Jessica Fields,
Essence,
28 Feb. 2025
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The outbreak has also led to the death of millions of egg-laying chickens in the U.S. – either from infection or culling of flocks.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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And the really jaw-dropping part of AMLO’s gutless abdication?—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2024
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Two baseballs flew down toward the San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar from the left-field corner stands, the gutless moves of two cowards.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Mark Kelly Americans who are rightfully appalled by the pusillanimous response to anti-Semitism on college campuses have been pulling their donations and calling for restrictions on anti-Israel student groups.—
Arthur Levitt,
WSJ,
12 Nov. 2023
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Those clumsy tales revealed Chazelle’s pusillanimous career ambitions.—
Armond White,
National Review,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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Fresh off a terrifying election cycle that feels like a fever dream (or the most craven Ryan Murphy series), America in 2025 is downright disorienting.—
Christopher Rosa,
Glamour,
14 Feb. 2025
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Trump has already turned a national tragedy into a craven, baseless political attack by blaming DEI programs at the FAA and past administrations.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coward. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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