DASTARDLY Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'dastardly' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dastardly are cowardly , craven , and pusillanimous . While all these words mean "having or showing a lack of courage," dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous. // a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

Q: When is it sensible to use 'cowardly' instead of 'dastardly'?

The synonyms cowardly and dastardly are sometimes interchangeable, but cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage. // a cowardly failure to stand up for principle

Q: Where would 'craven' be a reasonable alternative to 'dastardly'?

The words craven and dastardly can be used in similar contexts, but craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. // secretly despised her own craven yes-men

Q: When would 'pusillanimous' be a good substitute for 'dastardly'?

While the synonyms pusillanimous and dastardly are close in meaning, pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage. // the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility

dastardly

adjective

ˈda-stərd-lē

Definition of dastardly

as in cowardly

having or showing a shameful lack of courage his dastardly conduct in a critical moment haunted him for the rest of his life

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How does the adjective dastardly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of dastardly are cowardly, craven, and pusillanimous. While all these words mean "having or showing a lack of courage," dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous.

a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

When is it sensible to use cowardly instead of dastardly?

The synonyms cowardly and dastardly are sometimes interchangeable, but cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage.

a cowardly failure to stand up for principle

Where would craven be a reasonable alternative to dastardly?

The words craven and dastardly can be used in similar contexts, but craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance.

secretly despised her own craven yes-men

When would pusillanimous be a good substitute for dastardly?

While the synonyms pusillanimous and dastardly are close in meaning, pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage.

the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility

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 dastardly His dastardly scheme involves using Kryptonian tech to build an all-new continent off the coast of Metropolis — even after all these years, he's still obsessed with real estate. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 28 June 2026 My earliest World Cup memory—a six-year-old’s spiral of indignation and despair—is of Diego Maradona’s dastardly Hand of God, which eliminated England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 edition, in Mexico. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 Ewan Mitchell is best known to audiences as the dastardly Prince Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon, but his latest project promises to be a more offbeat affair. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 May 2026 That dastardly group loved pollution. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for dastardly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dastardly

Adjective

The trans actor Elliot Page plays Sinon, a poor boy from Ithaca who is brave enough to travel with Odysseus in place of the cowardly aristocrat Antinous, played by Robert Pattinson.

— Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
Weiss, Maher says, told him her internal critics are too cowardly to say anything to her face.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026

Definition of cowardly

Adjective

So my encouragement to young Latino artists out there is to keep creating and don’t be afraid of creating.

— Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026
Not afraid of breaking tradition, Morgan and Jezzel decided to find their wedding gowns together and made eight salon visits in two weeks.

— Shelby Wax, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of afraid

Adjective

Lastly, to dull the war-mongering vigor of the Rivermen, Ormund installs small, scared little boys, ripped from their homes, all along the chemin de ronde — a baby human shield for Ser Daeron the Daring’s great army.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
And feeling so scared and so overwound by the idea that this was going to make or break our career.

— Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

Use of QACs soared during the Covid-19 pandemic as frightened masses sanitized themselves and nearly everything else in sight.

— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Families were frightened, communities were looking for guidance, and clinicians were desperate for answers.

— Ronald Nahass, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.

— Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
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

Definition of pusillanimous

Adjective

Kash explains that turmeric contains a specific type of polyphenol called curcumin, which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties (and is what gives the spice its bright yellow color).

— Marie Bladt, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026
Reuters footage from the aftermath showed yellow trucks mounted on sheets of concrete, as survivors sifted through grey debris.

— Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of yellow

Adjective

Yes, Arsenal fan Neel from New Delhi held his nerve on the final day to shake off the persistent and heroic challenge of six-year-old Wilfred — and the meandering, distinctly unheroic challenge of a 51-year-old journalist.

— Oliver Kay, New York Times, 26 May 2026
That larger significance is remarkably unheroic and fatalistic.

— Gabriel Winslow-Yost, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024

Definition of unheroic

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“Dastardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dastardly. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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