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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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
Visitors spent the day sampling soul food favorites, including ribs, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, chicken and waffles, cornbread and a variety of sweet desserts. — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026 In late August, Mayor Mamdani hosted a celebration of Caribbean culture at Gracie Mansion with plenty of patties and jerk chicken to go around. — Reshma B, VIBE.com, 7 Sep. 2026 Tortellini en Brodo Having frozen tortellini and chicken stock on hand is always a good idea. — Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 7 Sep. 2026 The farms tried to apply the high-density approach that works well with chickens, but ostriches need free range space, Lehman said. — Dylan Lovan, Fortune, 6 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
  • 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
  • The pundits feasted on her neutrality, most venomously Megyn Kelly, who called her a coward.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of coward
Adjective
  • While gold is off its record highs from early this year, its price of around $4,400 per ounce is still well elevated versus history, with Goldman Sachs forecasting the yellow metal to reach $4,900 by year-end on the back of central bank buying.
    — Joanna Ossinger, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • This pass map shows the dangerous positions Rashford has put Shaw into with the ball (yellow arrows) — three are in the box and two are on the edge of it.
    — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of yellow
Adjective
  • For a nominal sum, the paper each day serves up authoritative accounts of sports events that occurred as much as a day earlier, give or take.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The calculation refers to nominal total returns, combining coupon income and changes in the bond's market price.
    — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of nominal
Adjective
  • Trust your board, adapt to your league mates and don’t be afraid to take the swings that can win you the league.
    — Jonathan Rubin, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Brian Austin Green isn’t afraid to talk about what happens to men after 50.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • The slight worry is that Zheng will run out of gas at some point after coming through the qualifying tournament and winning six matches in New York.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • For all their advantages, quantum technologies are extremely sensitive, and these devices can be thrown out of gear by the slightest changes in temperature or environmental noise.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of slight
Adjective
  • Smelling human hormones of fear, Whistler would have known that Mary was scared.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Across the playground, Star climbed to the top of a slide, then got too scared to come down.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Our study takes only a tiny step – but still a step – in that direction, helping to nail down the mechanism of exotic superconductivity in graphene.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The grand scale of cosmic time reminds her (and us) that social mores and strictures are tiny, meaningless things, that what matters is passion and freedom.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • Michael was still frightened and disoriented by what had taken place over spring break.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Roosevelt offered frightened and dispirited Americans a vision of a secure future.
    — John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2026.

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