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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chicken
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The highest-risk strains were most often found in chicken and turkey.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Shredded rotisserie chicken makes a nice addition.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
But just as Pierre’s chicken tastes more or less the same as Nadine’s, so Olympia’s goals are more or less the same as Matty’s.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
Other events included releasing chickens into a crowd that scrambled to catch them, with winners taking them home, according to one report about the town’s history.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
The highest-risk strains were most often found in chicken and turkey.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2025
Shredded rotisserie chicken makes a nice addition.
—Robin Miller, AZCentral.com, 24 Oct. 2025
But just as Pierre’s chicken tastes more or less the same as Nadine’s, so Olympia’s goals are more or less the same as Matty’s.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
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The crowd applauds for 13 seconds both at the intense, almost Chris Farley–esque yell itself and the absurdity of Maron’s desire to be a manly coward.—
John Roy,
Vulture,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Just an utter coward folding to this embarrassing paper tiger administration.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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On the other side of the yellow line, Hamas is digging in, too — regrouping after the war and consolidating control of its part of Gaza.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light (the most familiar color of the aurora) or a red light; nitrogen generally gives off a blue light.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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In addition to the music, train rides will be offered around the park for a nominal fee courtesy of the Poway-Midland Railroad.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2025
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Kim Yong Nam was not related to Kim Jong Un, but his loyalty to the ruling family enabled him to serve as president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly—the country's nominal head of state—from 1998 until April 2019.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Tessa Kluetz Pernell designs interiors that aren’t afraid to make a bold statement.—
Elizabeth Stamp,
Architectural Digest,
3 Nov. 2025
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The Rings of Power, but those are based on proven IP, at a moment when the industry seems afraid to spend big on anything but brand names.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Nobody who has even a slight awareness of how the organization does business expected the Ravens to trade multiple Day 1/2 draft picks for a player.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
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Boston has the opportunity to shell out a qualifying offer for the veteran hurler, which would be a slight raise worth roughly $22 million.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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When one teen is scared or tired of the process, the other girl is there to encourage her.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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One of the women, one of his first girlfriends, was very scared [to be part of the series].—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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From breezing through paperwork to avoiding unnecessary airport delays, this tiny travel hero proves that sometimes the simplest tools are the most important.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
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But the movie only gives tiny little tastes of 1982 rock culture, and why Nebraska was so comically unsuitable for airplay.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Sometimes, a frightened reaction is inexplicable.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
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The Japanese had cyclotrons but no nuclear lobby driven by frightened, concerned, or ambitious scientists.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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