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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in cowardly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of coward
Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
People who didn’t know the backstory were calling her parents cowards and demanding their imprisonment.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
The Real Madrid forward reportedly referred to Messi and his teammates as cowards for retreating to the dressing room after Brazilian police attacked a section of Argentine fans.
—Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
The employees are spoiled and the investors are cowards.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coward
Noun
If Republicans refuse to do that, then their constituents can rest assured that their representatives are cowards and liars.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2025
People who didn’t know the backstory were calling her parents cowards and demanding their imprisonment.
—Zach Helfand, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
The Real Madrid forward reportedly referred to Messi and his teammates as cowards for retreating to the dressing room after Brazilian police attacked a section of Argentine fans.
—Felipe Cardenas, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
The employees are spoiled and the investors are cowards.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coward
Adjective
-
Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
-
The cowardly capitulation of Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps are negative examples to be learned from.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The marinated turkey or chicken is stuffed into a French roll intended to soak up the recipe’s recaudo or marinade, along with slices of tomato, cucumber, radishes and sprigs of watercress.—
Daniel Hernandez,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2025
-
After nearly three decades in Texas classrooms, Pauline Thompson is stepping into a new chapter — one that smells of jerk chicken, fresh thyme and home.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 May 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
And the really jaw-dropping part of AMLO’s gutless abdication?—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2024
Adjective
-
The second believed the United States could attain comprehensive security through military-technological means and saw diplomacy as a quixotic or pusillanimous enterprise that dishonored and weakened the country.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
In this instance, though, the Administration is not attempting to trample on powerless civil servants or migrants, or pusillanimous law firms, or universities that don’t have as much money as Harvard does.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Though authorities in South Yorkshire and centrally were to blame for the disaster, some of the deceased were still fighting for their lives when those responsible started shifting the focus away from their own failings, buttressed by support from craven sections of the media.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Lead actors Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Anthony Mackie share minimal chemistry, though the episode’s most craven move has to be contriving a loophole giving the romantic opposites an easy out.—
Charles Bramesco,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coward. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share