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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of chicken
Virginia Willis, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
The black bean chicken, with green beans and mushrooms, is a favorite.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Containing many of the classic chicken pot pie flavors, this soup comes together seamlessly by tossing all the ingredients in a Dutch oven.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
Homemade soup offers the most control over ingredients and portion size, and often includes more vegetables and larger pieces of chicken.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
Add the beans, thyme and chicken stock; stir to combine.
—Virginia Willis, AJC.com, 11 Jan. 2026
The black bean chicken, with green beans and mushrooms, is a favorite.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
Containing many of the classic chicken pot pie flavors, this soup comes together seamlessly by tossing all the ingredients in a Dutch oven.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2026
Homemade soup offers the most control over ingredients and portion size, and often includes more vegetables and larger pieces of chicken.
—Daryl Austin, USA Today, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
He and the cowards of Congress should be held accountable in the next election cycle.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Tim Walz and Jacob Frey are cowards who are inciting violence to distract from their own failures.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Yiyoguaje sported a spectacular headdress of layered feathers that cascaded down his back, blue and pink, green and yellow, topped by three long macaw feathers standing up like spears.—
Stanley Stewart,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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While many greens can skew yellow or murky, its blue base keeps the color clean and sophisticated.—
Lauren Jones,
Southern Living,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Austin Public trains those producers, who, for a nominal fee, gain access to state-of-the-art equipment, studio space and content distribution for their own work.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
29 Dec. 2025
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Academic users will be able to access the platform for a nominal fee, while biotech and pharmaceutical companies are charged an annual subscription, which gives them the right to store their data securely, as well as a relatively low per-use charge.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Others are afraid to leave their homes to do mundane things like getting groceries or shoveling snow and clearing ice from their sidewalks.—
Bao Phi,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The lawsuit by the city and state says the campaign had a chilling effect, making residents afraid to leave home.—
Rebecca Santana,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The ice punishes the slightest miscalculations, demands the sharpest of focus.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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One report found there may be a slight benefit to moderate drinking, while the other concluded that even one drink a day was linked to a wide range of harms.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The birds were scared away by a resident’s dog.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Jan. 2026
-
As Hodges stood there, scared and vulnerable, the man grabbed his baton and bashed him on the head with it, rupturing his lip and smashing his skull.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The tiny congregation isn’t sure when, or even if, a new church will be built, but an unconventional plan is afoot to raise the bell tower again, this time as a beacon for the valley.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Jan. 2026
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In one photo, the pop star posed in the tiniest green butterfly wing print bikini by Rat & Boa, which came with a matching cover-up.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The article quotes two current professors but doesn’t explore why other faculty members critical of the school were too frightened to speak on the record in what Corcoran described as a campus finally open to different opinions.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 Jan. 2026
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Freedom from fear mattered because frightened societies are easily manipulated.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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