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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chicken
Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
One fly sat on a speed rack with cooked chicken.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Appetizers include the chicken masakali, mutton pepper roast and garlic paneer.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
The deals include standard happy hour menu items, such as ham and cheese or chicken croquetas for $2, papas rellenas (potatoes stuffed with either picadillo or cheese) for $3, and ham and cheese, vegetarian or beef empanadas for $4.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
Overstuffed pouches of chicken in the walk-in refrigerator had been improperly cooled.
—Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
One fly sat on a speed rack with cooked chicken.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Appetizers include the chicken masakali, mutton pepper roast and garlic paneer.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
The deals include standard happy hour menu items, such as ham and cheese or chicken croquetas for $2, papas rellenas (potatoes stuffed with either picadillo or cheese) for $3, and ham and cheese, vegetarian or beef empanadas for $4.
—Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
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Fear of the base, of Trump’s wrath or of primary challenges is now paramount for these cowards.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
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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
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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The government hopes for rain, but people are already afraid.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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As a result, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't afraid to acknowledge just how bad things went for star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of his team as a whole.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The score indicates a slight improvement from the 2023-24 school year, when 26% of students achieved Level 3 or 4.—
Dmitry Martirosov,
Arkansas Online,
12 Nov. 2025
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Katy Perry's manager appeared to take a slight dig at Wendy's, months after the fast food chain's comments about his pop star client.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
11 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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At the previous World Cup in 2022, hosted by tiny Qatar, all of England’s games were in Doha or just outside that city.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Nanotubes are ultra-small cylindrical structures, so tiny that thousands could fit across the width of a human hair.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly a week later, Scott and Kodi Allred, a couple traveling to visit their son at the University of Northern Colorado, saw the frightened black dachshund darting along the same stretch of road near Elk Mountain.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
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Sometimes, a frightened reaction is inexplicable.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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