Synonyms of cowardly

cowardly 1 of 2

adjective

as in afraid

having or showing a shameful lack of courage

a cowardly bully who picks on the weak and defenseless

vile charges that were made in a cowardly, unsigned letter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• afraid
• craven
• scared
• spineless
• gutless
• frightened
• pusillanimous
• dastardly
• unheroic
• yellow
• careful
• timid
• recreant
• poltroon
• fearful
• lily-livered
• chicken
• cautious
• weak
• chickenhearted
• timorous
• milk-livered
• diffident
• feeble
• chicken-livered
• wary
• fainthearted
• bashful
• unmanly
• coy
• shy
• soft

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brave
• heroic
• courageous
• daring
• fearless
• gallant
• valiant
• hardy
• intrepid
• valorous
• stout
• brazen
• gutsy
• bold
• stalwart
• dauntless
• audacious
• cheeky
• stouthearted
• spirited
• lionhearted
• doughty
• plucky
• resolute
• spunky
• greathearted
• nervy
• determined

cowardly

2 of 2

adverb

as in cravenly

Related Words

• cravenly
• fearfully
• spinelessly
• timorously
• timidly
• pusillanimously
• shyly
• diffidently
• nervously
• anxiously
• apprehensively
• spiritlessly
• mousily
• skittishly
• cautiously
• prudently
• heedfully
• carefully

Dissimilar Words

• boldly
• courageously
• fearlessly
• bravely
• heroically
• manfully
• valiantly
• gallantly
• valorously
• stalwartly
• intrepidly
• resolutely
• firmly
• determinedly
• dauntlessly
• pluckily
• gamely
• stoutheartedly
• doughtily
• stoutly
• gutsily
• grittily
• spiritedly
• spunkily

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective cowardly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cowardly are craven, dastardly, and pusillanimous. While all these words 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

When would craven be a good substitute for cowardly?

The synonyms craven and cowardly are sometimes interchangeable, but craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance.

secretly despised her own craven yes-men

When is it sensible to use dastardly instead of cowardly?

While in some cases nearly identical to cowardly, dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous.

a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

When could pusillanimous be used to replace cowardly?

In some situations, the words pusillanimous and cowardly are roughly equivalent. However, pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage.

the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cowardly

Adjective

Weiss, Maher says, told him her internal critics are too cowardly to say anything to her face. — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026

Nikki is critical of the latter, calling it selfish and cowardly. — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Adverb

Thomas Jefferson, the great hero of the Declaration of Independence, is shown as hypocritical, cowardly, manipulative, a schemer of every kind. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

The fact that the administration, and our secretary of state and the president tried to blame Israel is outrageous, cowardly and dangerous. — Jim Defede, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2026