cowardly

1 of 2

adverb

cow·​ard·​ly ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-lē 

: in a cowardly manner

cowardly

2 of 2

adjective

: being, resembling, or befitting a coward

a cowardly retreat

cowardliness noun

Synonyms

Adjective

• afraid
• craven
• scared
• spineless
• gutless
• frightened
• pusillanimous
• dastardly
• unheroic
• yellow
• careful
• timid

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Trump is waging war on free speech, bullying cowardly media companies into submission. —Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 7 Aug. 2025

In one of his more prominent roles, Wise played the cowardly assistant to the director (Robert Klein) of the action film The Spy Who Laughed at Danger at the center of Hooper, which features Reynolds as a stunt coordinator. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 5 Aug. 2025

Adjective

Those cowardly films ignore the ideological confusion and moral bankruptcy that precede political and creative failure. —Armond White, National Review, 4 July 2025

And unlike the cowardly ambiguity and doubletalk toward Iran and its nuclear program in the past by Barack Obama, John Kerry, Joe Biden and Antony Blinken, Trump was clear as a bell. —Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 4 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1551, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cowardly

adjective

cow·​ard·​ly

ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-lē

1

: lacking courage : disgracefully timid

a cowardly rascal

2

: characteristic of a coward

a cowardly attack from behind

cowardly adverb

cowardliness noun