Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Exhibiting the characteristics of a coward, particularly ignoble fear.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In the manner of a coward; dishonorably; basely.
- Wanting courage to face danger, or to incur harm or pain; timid; timorous; fearful; pusillanimous.
- Proceeding from fear of danger or harm; mean; base; befitting a coward: as, a cowardly action.
- Synonyms Dastardly, craven, faint-hearted, chicken-hearted.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Wanting courage; basely or weakly timid or fearful; pusillanimous; spiritless.
- adjective Proceeding from fear of danger or other consequences; befitting a coward; dastardly; base.
- adverb In the manner of a coward.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adverb In the manner of a coward.
- adjective Showing
cowardice . Lacking in courage, unacceptably fearful, usually meant with some implication of a lack of consideration for others.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word cowardly.
Examples
-
Another translation of the Bible uses the word cowardly instead of fearful.
How to Overcome Fear Marcos Witt 2007
-
Another translation of the Bible uses the word cowardly instead of fearful.
How to Overcome Fear Marcos Witt 2007
-
The Ogaden rebels, meanwhile, issued a statement condemning what they called the "cowardly and cold-blooded attack".
Ethiopia, UN Mount Joint Search Operation for Kidnapped Aid Workers 2011
-
I use the word "cowardly" because there's no other way to call someone who writes this and then hides behind an anonymous name.
Adam Wright: Non-Anonymous TV Critic Trashes Anonymous Executive (and Publication) Adam Wright 2012
-
The Ogaden rebels, meanwhile, issued a statement condemning what they called the "cowardly and cold-blooded attack".
Ethiopia, UN Mount Joint Search Operation for Kidnapped Aid Workers 2011
-
They're America's allies in the war on terror but tonight Pakistani officials are slamming what they call a cowardly attack.
-
George W. Bush strongly condemning what he called the cowardly assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
-
The attorney for one of the accused denounced what he calls cowardly and anonymous leakers at the Pentagon.
-
However, strong reaction from the Palestinian Authority condemning this, as what they call a cowardly act.
-
Officials with UNAMID, the joint African Union and United Nations peacekeeping mission, strongly condemned what they called cowardly acts of violence against the peacekeepers.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.