as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a staunch hawk during the drumbeat for war, he proved to be a chicken when it came to actually fighting it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yellow
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
too chicken to go through with the stunt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nominal
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
just concentrate on the important duties of the job and forget about the chicken stuff
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chicken
Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
Other new deals, available all season, include a $7 chicken wrap from Rebel Hen and refillable 32-ounce soft drinks for $11.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
When cooking the chicken, don't crowd the pan.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026
There's hardly an occasion when buffalo chicken dip isn't welcome on the table.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
But for people who consume fewer calories, like Matthews’s mother, those calories and the protein in them are better off coming from whole foods—such as chicken, beans, nuts and vegetables.
—Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
Other new deals, available all season, include a $7 chicken wrap from Rebel Hen and refillable 32-ounce soft drinks for $11.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
When cooking the chicken, don't crowd the pan.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2026
There's hardly an occasion when buffalo chicken dip isn't welcome on the table.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
These are American cowards that are rooting against our Country.—
Khaled Wassef,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Since that moment, the trajectory has remained solidly positive, with the blue line pushing clearly above the yellow signal line to confirm the strength of this new upward momentum.—
Nishant Pant,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
Trojan picks up another sound — a yellow-breasted chat that has been eluding them.—
Natalie Escobar,
NPR,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
OnStage in Bedford began performing plays and musicals over 40 years ago in buildings the organization leased from the city for a nominal fee.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 May 2026
-
Unprocessed marijuana typically can fetch more than $600 a pound on the open market, depending on the category, but manufacturers often report to the state’s tracking system unrealistic nominal sales, often as low as a penny or dollar a pound, Lambert said.—
Christopher Osher,
ProPublica,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
At the same time, a boy named Henry, who also had to evacuate, is afraid of dogs.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
-
Native to the Mediterranean, lavender is not afraid of the summer heat.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Reading scores, meanwhile, continued to decline during that period, reaching their lowest point since 1990 in eighth graders and pre-2003 levels for fourth graders; only last year did some states start to see slight improvements.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
16 May 2026
-
Sunny skies and warm temperatures are expected in Laurel on Saturday, with highs near 83 degrees before a slight chance of showers moves in late Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Most of their clients were too scared to speak publicly, citing fear of retaliation.—
Shoshana Walter,
Miami Herald,
11 May 2026
-
Originally scared of cats, Cox fell in love with a pair of Scottish Folds his wife bought.—
Mark Bradley for the AJC,
AJC.com,
9 May 2026
Adjective
-
Despite their tiny size, the devices delivered some of the strongest efficiencies reported for ultrathin perovskite solar technology.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
-
The kibble is smaller and meant for tiny mouths.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Americans in that Nebraska unit are isolated and frightened.—
Craig Spencer,
STAT,
13 May 2026
-
While one held the frightened animal’s head, the other — wearing a sweatshirt with an image of the Virgin Mary — applied the iron to a horn.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
