yellow

adjective

ˈye-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce yellow (audio)
Definition of yellownext
as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage you'll come with us into the cave, unless you're yellow

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 yellow Its original shade—touted as the top-selling one in the US—blends yellow, blue, and red pigments for a result that seems to magically adapt to every skin tone. — Jenny Berg, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2026 Video from the scene showed a vehicle that had crashed into the front doors of the building, and yellow crime scene tape blocked off the front entrance. — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 There, the team can see client performance across accounts, identify who is tracking green, yellow, or red against targets, and respond quickly when a business needs attention. — Ethan M. Stone, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Gold investors are set for further volatility ahead, but the precious yellow metal is on an upward trajectory in the long-term, according to market veteran Jeff Currie. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for yellow
Recent Examples of Synonyms for yellow
  1. afraid
  2. scared
  3. frightened
  4. careful
  5. pusillanimous
  6. spineless
  7. cowardly
  8. craven
Adjective
  • Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud spoke of community members, including children, who were afraid of the protesters coming to the city.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Amanda takes off and sits on the grass, afraid this will happen to her.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • Stokes was scared to be seen in public talking about the case, worried about poor treatment from law enforcement and the potential for retribution.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Hospitals and healthcare workers are already reporting growing staffing concerns, as many workers are scared to leave their homes for fear of being targeted by ICE.
    — Nancy Hagans, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Hilton’s sister, Barbara Giarraffa, frightened fans and TikTok moderators were among those who called authorities.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Parents at evacuation centers in the village said many children were afraid to return indoors and woke up frightened whenever aftershocks rattled the island.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Without careful planning to reduce the constellations’ brightness, the team found that, in the most extreme case, the satellites could outnumber visible stars by a factor of 100.
    — Arielle Frommer, Scientific American, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Maneuvering in tight spaces requires careful judgment of each individual case — and not just about which body part is least likely to cause offense when brought into close proximity to a fellow diner.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of careful
Adjective
  • Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2025
  • The second believed the United States could attain comprehensive security through military-technological means and saw diplomacy as a quixotic or pusillanimous enterprise that dishonored and weakened the country.
    — A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Definition of pusillanimous
Adjective
  • And now the nation will probably never get back to normal because a spineless GOP can never admit that it’s been conned.
    — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 May 2026
  • Some of Thomas’s critique appeared to be aimed at weak-willed conservatives, including his fellow-Justices, for being, as Thomas perceives it, too spineless to stand up for the ideals enshrined in the Declaration.
    — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Definition of spineless
Adjective
  • The trans actor Elliot Page plays Sinon, a poor boy from Ithaca who is brave enough to travel with Odysseus in place of the cowardly aristocrat Antinous, played by Robert Pattinson.
    — Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026
  • Weiss, Maher says, told him her internal critics are too cowardly to say anything to her face.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 23 July 2026
Definition of cowardly
Adjective
  • Not an inspiration for craven pundits and politicians to use players as divisive avatars.
    — Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 2 July 2026
  • In 2024, The Onion purchased Infowars, the conspiracy website born of the craven lunatic/Sandy Hook shooting denier Alex Jones.
    — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of craven

Browse Nearby Words

yelling
yellow
yells
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Yellow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yellow. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on yellow

Nglish: Translation of yellow for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yellow

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