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
Excess compound butter can be used to make garlic bread, to season a roast chicken or steak, or even to finish warm potatoes. — Claire Wadsworth, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 McDonald's and Burger King are both making big changes to the chicken offerings on their menus. — Mike Snider, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Inspired by Nashville hot chicken, this new menu item pairs Nashville-style heat with dill pickle pieces. — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2026 This is slightly lower in dark meat chicken, which has a higher fat content. — Embry Roberts, Martha Stewart, 30 Aug. 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
  • The game, originally scheduled for last Friday, was full of yellow flags.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Due to driver shortages and other factors, the number of yellow bus rides in school districts has decreased, putting pressure on families to figure out transportation.
    — Jeff McMurray, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of yellow
Adjective
  • The creditor will still have to fork over hard cash to pay for the costs of the auction (which is usually nominal) as well as to compensate the debtor for any exemption value of that asset.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In the original lawsuit, Hanaway only sought $1 in nominal damages for the state, Cacioppo and his business, Industrial Salvage and Wrecking.
    — Jack Harvel August 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 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
  • 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
  • The movie is skipping festivals, which suggests that Warners is scared of critics.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 30 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 6 Sep. 2026.

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