1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

Relevance

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 Cass’s work frequently featured bright hues, in particular sunshine yellow, orange, pink and blue. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Instead, go for a medium chocolate brown with warm (yellow, peach or orange) undertones. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 18 Sep. 2026 Renetta Canada Renetta Canada is a juicy apple with a sweet, tart taste and a yellow-green peel. — Jillian Kubala, HEALTH, 18 Sep. 2026 The satin yellow uppers were a unique touch that separated her pick from others the model has worn in the past. — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 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
  • Some school teachers aren't afraid to reference the meme in class.
    — Owen Carry, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026
  • In this age of unremitting test screenings and CinemaScore, downer endings typically score lower, so Abrams appreciates that Cregger and Sony weren’t afraid to figuratively twist the knife in the audience.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • One dog, Bruce, whose neck was slashed by his owner, spent seven months at the shelter as investigators sought charges, trembling in his kennel and looking scared, according to visitors.
    — Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Was that an intentional move to make the Traitors scared to pick her?
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Nations are sustained not just by declarations and famous generals, but by less celebrated moments when frightened, exhausted people decide not to give up.
    — Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Also at top of mind was the film’s sound design, which is deliberately used as another tool to make the audience feel frightened and uncomfortable.
    — William Earl, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Renault is careful to frame this as a style exercise rather than a preview of a production model.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Awash with new property tax funds, local governments often haven’t been careful stewards of residents’ tax dollars.
    — Elaine Parker, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Sep. 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
  • Trump does not ask, but demands, and these spineless Republicans fall on their knees and yield to his wishes.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of spineless
Adjective
  • In the case stood the cowardly lion's costume from the original film The Wizard of Oz from 1938.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The cowardly, devious Turgeniev has assimilated to the comforts of the West —that alone is enough for Fyodor to detest him.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of cowardly
Adjective
  • Did my eyes widen, revealing a craven journalist ready to pounce on an exclusive?
    — Jason Sheeler, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
  • She was especially hurt that some of the people who criticized Cox most harshly, dismissing him as craven and disingenuous, were those who had the closest relationships with him.
    — McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 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 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on yellow

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about yellow

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All