Synonyms of dastardly

dastardly

adjective

ˈda-stərd-lē 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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

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