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
Examples of cowardly in a Sentence
Adjective
He insisted on avoiding a cowardly retreat.
She made a cowardly decision to go along with the group.
a cowardly attack from behind
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Adverb
While the show nails his glow-up from being a cowardly yakuza to becoming a major player in the Tojo clan, the climax fumbles his fall from grace by devolving his menace and inner turmoil into cartoonish villainy in the show’s finale.—Isaiah Colbert, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024 Christian is ambitious but cowardly, which often creates conflict within himself.—Carrie Wittmer, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Although Morgan’s win in Saudi Arabia solidified her as a cowardly heel, her immediately future on Raw remains unclear.—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024 However, Art does display human emotion; a childlike sense of whimsy and a cowardly nature.—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cowardly
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