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

Nikki is critical of the latter, calling it selfish and cowardly.

— Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
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

Definition of cowardly

Adjective

Prosecutors said all three women knew Lux by name and appearance, and one reported more than 50 encounters that authorities said escalated over time, eventually leaving employees afraid to work around him.

— Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 22 July 2026
But defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard and LBs coach Shaun Dion Hamilton aren’t afraid to play rookies.

— Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of afraid

Adjective

Òdódó’s transformation from a naïve and scared young woman into a powerful and influential queen at the king’s court is both remarkable and realistic, and so is her complex relationship with her husband (and captor).

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 2026
Some nights, when he was stressed or scared, Jean would tell him stories.

— Juliet Linderman, Fortune, 16 July 2026

Definition of scared

Adjective

Perel compares the moment facing today’s executives to the one facing a parent with a frightened child.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 17 July 2026
The bear, seemingly frightened, quickly turns away from the boy and continues running, sliding under a boat parked in the driveway.

— Mason Leib, ABC News, 7 July 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

The threshold in such circumstances should be much higher, so the VAR only intervenes if the challenge merits a yellow or red card.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 22 July 2026
With colors like lilac, pink, red, blue, yellow, and black, there is a Sproos for every personality and every space.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 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 24 Jul. 2026.

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