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cowardly

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adverb cow·ard·ly \ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-lē\

Definition of cowardly

  1. :  in a cowardly manner

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14th Century

First Known Use of cowardly

14th century

2

cowardly

adjective cow·ard·ly

Definition of cowardly

  1. :  being, resembling, or befitting a coward a cowardly retreat

cowardliness

noun

See cowardly defined for English-language learners

See cowardly defined for kids

Examples of cowardly in a Sentence

  1. He insisted on avoiding a cowardly retreat.

  2. She made a cowardly decision to go along with the group.

  3. a cowardly attack from behind

1551

First Known Use of cowardly

1551

cowardly Synonyms

Synonyms
chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered [archaic], poltroon, pusillanimous, recreant, spineless, unheroic, yellow
Antonyms
brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gutsy, hardy, heroic (also heroical), intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous
Related Words
diffident, fainthearted, fearful, timid, timorous; afraid, frightened, scared; careful, cautious, wary; bashful, coy, shy; feeble, soft, unmanly, weak
Near Antonyms
audacious, bold, brazen, cheeky, nervy; plucky, spirited, spunky; determined, resolute

Synonym Discussion of cowardly

cowardly, pusillanimous, craven, dastardly mean having or showing a lack of courage. cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage. a cowardly failure to stand up for principle pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage. the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. secretly despised her own craven yes-men dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous. a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

COWARDLY Defined for English Language Learners

cowardly

adjective

Definition of cowardly for English Language Learners

  • : afraid in a way that makes you unable to do what is right or expected : lacking courage

COWARDLY Defined for Kids

cowardly

play
adjective cow·ard·ly \ˈkau̇-ərd-lē\

Definition of cowardly for Students

  1. 1 :  shamefully fearful a cowardly traitor

  2. 2 :  showing shameful fear Then he … said how hard-hearted and cowardly it was to hurt the weak … — Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

cowardliness

noun

Learn More about cowardly

  1. Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cowardly Spanish Central: Translation of cowardly Nglish: Translation of cowardly for Spanish speakers

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