Definition of dastardlynext

Synonym Chooser

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 That dastardly group loved pollution. Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 May 2026 From a deafening Target Center crowd, that would not let four injuries and 40 years of Minnesota sports fatalism dull their urge to see their Timberwolves send those dastardly Denver Nuggets packing for the summer, and maybe for good. Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026 The bullet chamber, thanks to dastardly Judd, is empty. Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026 Winter lasts a dastardly long time in Minnesota. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 8 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for dastardly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dastardly
Adjective
  • Or maybe the problem is Cape Fear itself for being too cowardly to commit to the certainty that drove the previous versions of this story.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
  • But even the most perfect Constitution can be undone by the wicked with the help of the bought, the stupid, and the cowardly.
    Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Adjective
  • The ruling leaves trans student-athletes and their advocates feeling angry and afraid.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 1 July 2026
  • Pregnant mothers are afraid of their babies not being able to have a home.
    Dennis Valera, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Adjective
  • In 2024, The Onion purchased Infowars, the conspiracy website born of the craven lunatic/Sandy Hook shooting denier Alex Jones.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
  • It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Humans are scared of him, so Nero becomes Rocco’s favorite thief.
    Marta Balaga, Variety, 26 June 2026
  • People are very scared of being human.
    Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026
Adjective
  • Rodríguez acknowledged that many remain too frightened to return home even after inspections declared some buildings safe.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 27 June 2026
  • Some days are spent inside an Ebola Treatment Unit caring for patients who are frightened, isolated, and desperately ill.
    Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 26 June 2026
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
Adjective
  • Green means habitable, yellow means moderately damaged, and red signifies that the building is unsafe.
    Max Saltman, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
  • Hot and even moderately hot pans will scorch the 10% resin content, turning it brown or yellow.
    Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 30 June 2026
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

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Cite this Entry

“Dastardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dastardly. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

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