as in cowardly
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
a military commander who was so poltroon that he surrendered without having fired so much as a single shot
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
those poltroons in the state legislature who have caved in to bigotry on this important issue of basic civil rights
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of poltroon
Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 15 Jan. 2021
Noun
And there’s the awkward fact of Giuliani’s having failed, in spite of his most abject scheming, to manage to overturn the presidential election that Donald Trump lost to a wobbly poltroon on the edge of 80.
—Kevin D. Williamson, National Review, 15 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltroon
Adjective
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How ironic that in its cowardly failure to stand up to Donald Trump’s constant attacks on a free press, the Tribune Editorial Board is, by this action, finally proving him right.Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024
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Because, in this land of weak governments and cowardly corporations, the Coastal Commission is the rare California institution with a spine.Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2024
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Numerous water bottles flew down toward the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. from the right-field corner stands, the gutless moves of many 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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Not being afraid to ask others for help was the most common answer, along with being confident.Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Nov. 2024
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The resulting atmosphere of mistrust can leave immigrants afraid to report crimes or seek help in dangerous situations for fear of deportation.Brian Bennett, TIME, 3 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Since then, Trump has regularly lobbed attacks at the military and its top leaders, accusing them of being politically craven and operationally incompetent.Ronald R. Krebs, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2021
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The callousness of investigators, the craven police interrogation methods that seek to discount the memory of survivors by insisting the truth hinges on minute details and the vitriol of a misogynistic public are all on display in Black Box Diaries.Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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There’s also the charming indecision, the earnest desire to weigh all options against each other and seeing every side so that the only logical conclusion is to be mired in a well-meaning state of paralysis — which, in another dialect, translates to spineless lack of resolve and commitment phobia.Goth Shakira, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2024
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The cast has an abundance of exceptional performances from Kevin Kline (outstanding!), Lesley Manville, Sacha Baron Cohen (so good as Catherine’s spineless husband), and Kodi Smith-McPhee as their son.Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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As the far right gets more and more emboldened, these things are going to become more and more common, people are going to be more and more frightened.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2024
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James Giordano, a neurobiology researcher at Georgetown University Medical Center, says getting frightened triggers a specific response in the human body.Jennifer Stavros, WIRED, 31 Oct. 2024
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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In addition to selling yellow mustard and hot sauce, the division makes ketchup, onion flavorings and other products.Nick Turner, Bloomberg.com, 19 July 2017
Thesaurus Entries Near poltroon
Cite this Entry
“Poltroon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltroon. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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