as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
a chicken-livered newspaper editor who has been afraid to take on the town's powerful business elite
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chicken-livered
Adjective
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What happens to the funding for buses and light rail when people are afraid to ride them, and no one buys bus tickets?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026 -
Too Much Wall Art Wall art is a great way to make a space feel more complete, but don't be afraid to leave some blank space here and there.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Every April and May, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India, fills with devotees of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Chennai Super Kings, all wearing their trademark banana yellow.—
Samanth Subramanian,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Feb. 2026
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If the color of the inner bark is yellow or light green, then the plant can still be helped.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Number two, everyone is scared.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Feb. 2026
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Individuals, nonprofits and local businesses collect bags of food, baby formula, diapers and other items and deliver them to people too scared to leave their homes.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And so if this gets replicated, if there’s a spreading of feelings of fear, the most vulnerable people will be frightened to turn out.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Both release a strong spray, or musk, when frightened.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But turning this moment into lasting advantage will require careful planning, not just short-term opportunism.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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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
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That larger significance is remarkably unheroic and fatalistic.—
Gabriel Winslow-Yost,
Harper's Magazine,
23 Sep. 2024
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In the world of The Boys, based on the gleefully scabrous 2000s indie comic-book series of the same name by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson, superheroes are real, pop-culture-dominating, and with rare exceptions, entirely unheroic.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
13 June 2024
Adjective
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Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
18 Jan. 2026
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Therefore, the cowardly officer could’ve later arrested her or simply disabled the vehicle by shooting out a tire with the same accuracy.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Chicken-livered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chicken-livered. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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