cowardly

play

adverb cow·ard·ly \ˈkau̇(-ə)rd-lē\

Definition of cowardly

: in a cowardly manner

First Known Use of cowardly

14th century

cowardly

adjective cow·ard·ly

Definition of cowardly

: 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

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 of cowardly from the Web

Announcing this decision at 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon is a cowardly act, developed in secret without engaging the thousands of Californians who have rallied to enact real health care reform.

— Washington Post, "California Assembly leader shelves single-payer health plan", 23 June 2017
On Friday, Sean Spicer gave his off-camera press briefing that the White House press corps is still too cowardly to film.

— clio chang, New Republic, "Does Donald Trump know what’s in the Senate health care bill?", 23 June 2017
However, these noose placing cretins have been able to move about and do their dastardly, not to mention cowardly, acts with no repercussion thus far.

— angela helm, The Root, "Where the Hell Are the Police? Another Noose Found on National Mall", 18 June 2017
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called the attacks a cowardly act and proof that Tehran has made an enemy of militant Islamic groups through its policies and actions in Iraq and Syria.

— scott peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Anxiety in Arab-nation dispute rises with ISIS-claimed attacks in Iran", 7 June 2017
Physically attacking journalists for asking questions is cowardly.

— adam serwer, The Atlantic, "The Lesser Part of Valor", 26 May 2017
All acts of terrorism are cowardly attacks on innocent people.

— jeff darcy, cleveland.com, "Manchester united after bombing: Darcy cartoon", 24 May 2017
Outraged & angry about this cowardly terror attack on a crowd of young people.

— eugene scott, CNN, "Obama, Clintons tweet condolences on Manchester attack", 23 May 2017
Dirrell didn't fight again for 21 months and, in fact, in the seven years since that cowardly act, has fought only seven times.

— bob velin, USA TODAY, "Through 'rocky' career, Andre Dirrell resumes his chase for elusive title", 20 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cowardly'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cowardly

1551

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