Definition of craven
1 archaic : defeated, vanquished
2 : lacking the least bit of courage : contemptibly fainthearted … craven mercenaries who would not fight … — Thomas Fleming
craven
nouncravenly
adverbRead the Latest from M-W
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Examples of craven in a Sentence
a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally
Recent Examples of craven from the Web
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And his craven desire to let Obamacare explode could just be the perfect vehicle to test Republicans’ own theory of lawlessness against their president.
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That has made her government’s craven and repressive acts all the more bewildering.
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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.
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Nowhere is this policy more craven and disastrous than in Yemen, where the U.S. has backed Saudi Arabia’s crusade to re-install Sunni general Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in power.
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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.
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Meyer is on the one hand, as a politician and person, more awful than ever—more craven, more selfish, more willing to betray those who are loyal to her for momentary political gain.
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On the other hand, at least the Senate waited to get this CBO score before voting, which is a lot more than Paul Ryan and his merry band of craven simpletons in the House can say these days.
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Exhausted from having craven boneheads chosen to lead departments governing the environment, the Treasury, education, and the interior.
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.
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'").
Origin and Etymology of craven
Middle English cravant
Synonym Discussion of craven
CRAVEN Defined for English Language Learners
craven
playDefinition of craven for English Language Learners
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: having or showing a complete lack of courage : very cowardly
CRAVEN Defined for Kids
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See words that rhyme with craven Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for craven Spanish Central: Translation of craven Nglish: Translation of craven for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of craven for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about craven
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