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
Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 15 June 2026
The feathery coating shatters and the chicken beneath drips with juice, tasting like it’s been brined and marinated for hours.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
With its joyless austerity, the dish bears almost no resemblance to actual chicken paprikás, which is boisterous and dense and, crucially, should involve a considerable portion of hearty starches to sop it all up.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Because wine has a different role to play than potatoes, carrots, chickens and eggs.
—Louise Schiavone, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Noun
These days, the Yum Brands unit is facing stiff competition, both from upstart chicken chains and legacy giants like McDonald’s that are betting big on the growing global popularity of chicken.
—Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 15 June 2026
The feathery coating shatters and the chicken beneath drips with juice, tasting like it’s been brined and marinated for hours.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
With its joyless austerity, the dish bears almost no resemblance to actual chicken paprikás, which is boisterous and dense and, crucially, should involve a considerable portion of hearty starches to sop it all up.
—Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 14 June 2026
Because wine has a different role to play than potatoes, carrots, chickens and eggs.
—Louise Schiavone, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for chicken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken
Noun
-
Severance star Zach Cherry is Gary, a coward who isn’t sure he can be loved.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
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And, in a way, this coward is the only sane one.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Williams, who was sponsored by Puma at the time, wore an interpretation of the shirt at the French Open that year, complete with long, football-style yellow socks.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
On Saturday afternoon, thousands of Brazil fans, clad in highlighter yellow jerseys, made the trek to New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) to watch their team play Morocco in its first game of this World Cup.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
The nominal plan is to launch the test lander (essentially a crew module of the Blue Moon Mk2 vehicle) on New Glenn.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2026
-
The rocket's success on this most recent flight hopefully put the vehicle back on course for more nominal missions ahead.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
There is no reason to be afraid.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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One woman intended to use the time to order electrolytes online, another was seeking earring backs, and a third needed to find a male babysitter, as well as a summer swim program, for a four-and-a-half-year-old who is afraid of the water.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
As long as the overall drink remains sufficiently boozy, cocktails that contain citrus—such as margaritas, daiquiris, and cosmopolitans—can also work well or just require a few slight tweaks.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
13 June 2026
-
The camera caught Maher staring at the stage with a slight smile, seemingly unsure how to react.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Children are generally afraid of ghosts, so telling them to be scared of larger bodies is deeply problematic.—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
People seem to still go to the movies for the communal experience of being scared.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
The tiny female hippo is already drawing comparisons to the beloved Moo Deng, the Thai baby pygmy hippo who became a global sensation in 2024.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Hopefully, this will help determine whether they’re sparked by an eruption from a single neutron star, or when two of these tiny but massive bodies collide.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
After the arrests, children in her van became frightened and initially refused to get out.—
Racquel Bazos,
Baltimore Sun,
11 June 2026
-
Flavia Pupo, a manager at a hotel in Pinar del Río, told AP that the shaking rattled the building and frightened people in the area.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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