as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
too chickenhearted to speak up, even though she knew a terrible injustice was being committed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickenhearted
Adjective
-
Still, other doctors lauded the results and the potential of the pill to reach new patients, such as those who are afraid of needles.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
7 Aug. 2025 -
This is what Galpin was afraid would happen to Tyler.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Social media quickly filled with images of frightened students scrambling to safety.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
-
Inside was a frightened white cat.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Native viburnums, such as Arrowwood and Blackhaw, show off red, yellow and purple foliage in the fall, along with berries that also become winter bird feeders.—
Chris McKeown,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Sep. 2025
-
In late summer, stop watering and when the leaves start to yellow, cut them about 2 inches above the bulb.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
-
The second believed the United States could attain comprehensive security through military-technological means and saw diplomacy as a quixotic or pusillanimous enterprise that dishonored and weakened the country.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Families are scared of being torn apart.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Ain’t nobody scared of them boys.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
There are lots of good rebuttals to this craven move.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is under severe pressure from President Donald Trump to restart one of the most craven and self-destructive practices of American politics in the 21st century: predatory gerrymandering.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 July 2025
Adjective
-
Both coaches and players have been respectful of the other team all week, careful not to produce any bulletin board material.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Ben Lewis Doherty, playing a boy named Sam whose life is upended by Robbie, is the show’s greatest innocent, a softhearted moppet who warns deer to be careful when crossing the street.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Now innocent children are dying because so many people were too cowardly to speak up.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
-
The rest of the statement was full of equally cowardly equivocation.—
Sahar Mustafah
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Chickenhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chickenhearted. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share