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chicken 1 of 2

noun

ˈchi-kᵊn How to pronounce chicken (audio)
Definition of chickennext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chicken

2 of 2

adjective

1
as in yellow
having or showing a shameful lack of courage too chicken to go through with the stunt

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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 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
Noun
Folks who grew up on Wendy’s Frosties and chicken nuggets may recall that back in the day the fast food chain had some very memorable packaging. — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2026 One order comes with five large chicken strips and a container of dipping sauce. — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026 From Asian fusion and sports bars to burrito chains and chicken specialists, the western suburb is quickly building out a lineup that feels more like a destination than a bedroom community. — Susan Stapleton, Des Moines Register, 21 Sep. 2026 Every year, live chickens are confined and slaughtered at makeshift sites on Brooklyn streets and sidewalks. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
  1. coward
  2. yellow
  3. nominal
  4. afraid
  5. slight
  6. scared
  7. tiny
  8. frightened
Noun
  • No, and as true as all that might be, the most important lesson is that DEI turns people into cowards.
    — Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
  • But Coyote has hitched his hopes for the mammoth case upon a man who could only be called a coward.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of coward
Adjective
  • Signet Jewelers said diamond tennis bracelets, tennis necklaces, studs, and yellow gold are resonating with Gen Z shoppers entering the category, including men.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Clooney complemented her bright yellow dress with a stack of dark brown, yellow, and black bangle bracelets, gold earrings, metallic gold leather wedge heels, and her signature oversized black sunglasses.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of yellow
Adjective
  • Patients in Medicaid, the state- and federally-funded program for people with low incomes, already pay a nominal co-payment of a few dollars to fill their prescriptions, but lower prices could help state budgets that fund the programs.
    — Fatima Hussein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But recent wars have exposed the gap between nominal power and usable military capability.
    — NADIA SCHADLOW, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of nominal
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
  • Concerns about this recent deceleration aside, a slight quarter-to-quarter boost is obviously preferable to the bundle’s comparable loss of 953,000 customers between the first and second quarters of this year.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • There’s only a slight chance for thunderstorms over the weekend and the sun icon, missing for days and days, now shines on its main webpage.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • My parents were tense and distracted while my siblings were scared.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the sellers took a real beating on the way out, because the negative articles were so persuasive and the owners so scared.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Because batteries in wearable devices are tiny, and 5G cellular chips can instantly cut a wearable’s battery life by half, analysts expect the devices to remain tethered to a phone for at least the next five to 10 years.
    — Sebastian Herrera, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
  • How to try the arugula trick at home The actual habit is tiny.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of tiny
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

Phrases Containing chicken

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chick
chicken
chickened (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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