dastardly

adjective

das·​tard·​ly ˈda-stərd-lē 

1

: cowardly

2

: characterized by underhandedness or treachery

a dastardly attack

a dastardly villain

dastardliness noun

Synonyms

• cowardly
• afraid
• craven
• scared
• frightened
• pusillanimous
• yellow
• unheroic
• careful
• gutless
• spineless
• recreant

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

Blanc is trying to put together a puzzle, but most of its pieces are rooted in the human foibles that drive people to do dastardly things. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025

But Season 2 kills off the older Galpins without evoking any fear from their dastardly plans or pity for their ultimate plight. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025

While Shrek pouts about missing his solo ogre days, the dastardly Rumpelstiltskin takes advantage, offering him a contract to relive that romanticized time in his life — for a day. —Skyler Trepel September 1, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Many previous productions of Hamlet have emphasized the prince’s drive to avenge the death of his father, King Hamlet, at the hands of his uncle, the dastardly Claudius. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1