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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chicken
Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 26 June 2025
Wei from Dumont, N.J. liked the original chicken sandwich, fries and special seasoning but thought it should have been layered more and said the service was quick.
—Gary Stern, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
This makes chicken a smart choice for those who want to maintain optimal blood sugar levels.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 25 June 2025
One night, the young boy took a piece of chicken from the foster parents’ school-age son.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
Menu items here include Hot Mess Fries (loaded with carne asada, chicken or bacon, cheese and onions), taquitos, poke nachos, tacos, burritos, burgers, beer, wine, cocktails and more.
—Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 26 June 2025
Wei from Dumont, N.J. liked the original chicken sandwich, fries and special seasoning but thought it should have been layered more and said the service was quick.
—Gary Stern, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
This makes chicken a smart choice for those who want to maintain optimal blood sugar levels.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 25 June 2025
One night, the young boy took a piece of chicken from the foster parents’ school-age son.
—Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
With rising apprehension, the Cabinet kept deliberating for a couple of days while Sumner did his best to shut down jingoistic rhetoric in the Senate from politicians who demanded that Lincoln not be a coward in the face of Great Britain.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
-
Because these cowards fear being doxed for their inhumane and unconscionable actions.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
The look features bright coral eyeshadow covering the eyelid, a fuchsia shade in the crease, and a swipe of fluorescent yellow eyeliner on the outside half of the eye and right under the brow.—
Andrea Park,
Teen Vogue,
20 July 2017
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Three prominent Austin chefs teamed up with the Youngblood family to build a new restaurant from scratch that looks like a legacy chicken dinner house, down to the bright blue-and-yellow colors and the helpings of hot yeast rolls with honey.—
Bud Kennedy,
star-telegram,
19 July 2017
Adjective
-
Here’s why: Although technical specifications are still being worked out, the new standard could deliver nominal peak data rates of more than 40Gbps.—
Sarah Lord,
PC Magazine,
1 July 2025
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In practice, that has resulted in the actual levies on imports often being lower than the nominal rate initially announced by the White House.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Don’t be afraid to dig deep as this transit sparks your interest in exploring your emotional and creative longings, whether that means tackling personal projects or revisiting childhood passions.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
28 June 2025
-
Sydney Sweeney was not afraid to pull punches when playing real-life Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic about the boxer, which wrapped production last November.—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
And when detecting the artist approaching flow, the device would emit a subtle cue — a slight change in the sound of their instrument or the lighting — to give the brain a subconscious boost and thereby accelerate and enhance one’s immersion into flow.—
Brandon Sneed,
Rolling Stone,
6 July 2025
-
Obviously, the lack of IBIS won't matter in the slightest for astrophotography.—
Kimberley Lane,
Space.com,
4 July 2025
Adjective
-
All small business owners suffer financially when their employees are taken or too scared to come to work.—
Billal Rahman
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 June 2025
-
An officer said the man was dehydrated, confused and scared when he was rescued, according to WBZ.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
These tiny devices pick up the neural activity that happens when someone tries to speak.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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Eventually the Times just acknowledged on the front page what could always be found deeper in the newspaper: that the virus’s lethality was almost totally confined to a tiny percentage of very old Americans; nursing homes the routine locale of deaths once again with the virus.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Adjective
-
Audience noises at the NRG Stadium in Houston went from frightened gasps to applause as the descent was completed.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
29 June 2025
-
Things were hectic in the mall, Stain, 45, said, with lots of frightened people running to the exits.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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