cowardice
noun
cow·ard·ice
ˈkau̇(-ə)r-dəs 
dialectal -(ˌ)dīs
: lack of courage or firmness of purpose
soldiers accused of cowardice
Synonyms
Examples of cowardice in a Sentence
the cowardice shown by political leaders who were willing to give the Nazis whatever they wanted
Recent Examples on the Web
For far too long, ideological extremism, political cowardice, cynical exploitation, and war profiteering have been ceded an effective veto power over finding a pragmatic resolution to the conflict, while the blood of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples continues to flow.
—
Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
The hatred usually hides in the cowardice of anonymity.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Some people, whether from cowardice or an excess of bravery, refuse to break it even to themselves.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
David has imbued Larry with so much guilt, exceptionalism, cluelessness, terror, cowardice, innocence, avoidance, vindictive zeal, genuine curiosity and joie de vivre that the performance becomes what Larry loves: a buffet.
—Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Which is why the retraction of the article is more than an act of cowardice and a betrayal of a writer whose work the magazine shepherded to publication.
—Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Russia’s poor performance and weak combat motivation in 2022 had led many to expect Russian incompetence or cowardice or both in 2023, but the Russians had learned enough from their failures to present a much tougher target by then.
—Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2024
Haley and DeSantis, meanwhile, have accused Trump of cowardice for skipping the Iowa debate, and hope that Hawkeye State voters hold it against him.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
His valedictory speech was both a scorching evisceration of his party’s cowardice in dealing with Trump and a bracing reminder of the stakes of this election.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2024
Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
The hatred usually hides in the cowardice of anonymity.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
Some people, whether from cowardice or an excess of bravery, refuse to break it even to themselves.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
David has imbued Larry with so much guilt, exceptionalism, cluelessness, terror, cowardice, innocence, avoidance, vindictive zeal, genuine curiosity and joie de vivre that the performance becomes what Larry loves: a buffet.
—Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Which is why the retraction of the article is more than an act of cowardice and a betrayal of a writer whose work the magazine shepherded to publication.
—Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Russia’s poor performance and weak combat motivation in 2022 had led many to expect Russian incompetence or cowardice or both in 2023, but the Russians had learned enough from their failures to present a much tougher target by then.
—Stephen Biddle, Foreign Affairs, 29 Jan. 2024
Haley and DeSantis, meanwhile, have accused Trump of cowardice for skipping the Iowa debate, and hope that Hawkeye State voters hold it against him.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024
His valedictory speech was both a scorching evisceration of his party’s cowardice in dealing with Trump and a bracing reminder of the stakes of this election.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cowardice.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cowardice
Cite this Entry
“Cowardice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cowardice. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cowardice
noun
cow·ard·ice
ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-əs
: lack of courage to face danger : shameful fear
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