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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chickenhearted
Adjective
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Weeks later, the Flyers removed the interim tag from Briere, hired Keith Jones as team president and were officially in a rebuild — and not afraid of using the word.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026 -
This is an unsparing portrait of addiction, but isn’t afraid to show moments of joy or tenderness, or what’s cool and interesting in this particular youth culture.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Soapy Water Stink bugs tend to drop when frightened, so fill a cup with soapy water and hold it under the stink bug.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
10 Apr. 2026
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Their height and heft frightened and thrilled spectators, earning dinosaurs a permanent place in the public imagination, Coules said.—
Scottie Andrew,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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In several of the photos, Hailey could be seen wearing a vintage 1998 Christian Dior silk banana yellow and hot pink slip dress.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
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Offered in white or yellow gold, the limited edition features an incredible tableau of a panther caught in the rain.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 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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So Tristian stood, waiting for his moment, preparing himself to do what everyone else was too scared to do.—
Empress Rasheem,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Apr. 2026
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People are scared, at the bottom line.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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In a particularly craven twist, this letter enlisted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause to halt or hinder affinity programming in schools.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This requires careful monitoring of key parameters such as sugar and acidity from veraison through to harvest.—
Maureen Mackey , Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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Somewhere within him is the spirit of the patriotic teenager and the careful lower-court judge who rejected any notion of party loyalty or judicial agenda.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
My senators are too cowardly to talk to me.—
,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Chickenhearted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chickenhearted. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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