Definition of CRAVEN

Choose the Right Synonym for craven

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

Did You Know?

Craven and its synonyms "dastardly" and "pusillanimous" are all basically fancy words for "cowardly." Don't be afraid to use them - here's a little information to help you recognize the subtle distinctions in their connotations. "Craven" suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance. One might speak of "craven yes-men." "Dastardly" often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous, as in this example: "a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians." "Pusillanimous" suggests a contemptible lack of courage (e.g., "After the attack, one editorialist characterized the witnesses as 'the pusillanimous bystanders'").

Examples of craven in a Sentence

a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet the reality is that, as with most large groups of Americans, the vast majority of veterans are neither heroic nor craven but somewhere in between. — Stanley Mcchrystal, WSJ, "Don’t Vote for a Uniform, Vote for a Candidate," 19 Oct. 2018 Is Prime Day a mildly craven capitalistic construct determined to invoke a Pavlovian FOMO response rooted in Western materialism? — The Editors Of Gq, GQ, "Amazon Prime Day 2018: Everything You Need to Know," 3 July 2018 In the end, the movie reveals very little about an artist’s nature — and a lot about craven commercial calculation. — Edouard Deluc, New York Times, "Review: ‘Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti’ Doesn’t Make Much of a (Post-) Impression," 10 July 2018 The latter two options are unpalatable to our craven political elites because they would get voted out of office, if the folks with torches and pitchforks didn’t get them first. — WSJ, "Not Much Has Changed With Social Security," 14 June 2018 Here comes the craven author, belonging to a profession that’s one part thrill and many parts heartbreak, marching into the bookstore: Where is my name? — Lauren Markham, Longreads, "For Me, With Love and Squalor," 7 June 2018 That has made her government’s craven and repressive acts all the more bewildering. — The Economist, "More money, less freedomSouth-East Asia’s future looks prosperous but illiberal," 18 July 2017 Harvey is notable (and even more beloved) because she's never made any off-putting left-field pronouncements, stooped to craven self-promotion, or taken an ugly career turn. — J.r. Nelson, Chicago Reader, "Music / Pitchfork Day Two / Things I Love PJ Harvey played the set of a lifetime at Pitchfork," 16 July 2017 Because Stannis lapsed on the honor front early on and killed his brother in such a cowardly fashion, Brienne expected to find another craven Westerosi leader. — Joanna Robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: The Most Upsetting, Ironic, and Brutal Dying Words," 12 July 2017

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