as in craven
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
the soldiers who ran as soon as the first shots were fired were branded as cowards
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as in cowardly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of coward
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
James Arthur, The New York Review of Books, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coward
Noun
Please do not take the coward’s way.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Jan. 2026
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Whoomp, whoomp bumped the coward heart.
—James Arthur, The New York Review of Books, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coward
Noun
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As cold fronts continue to pummel the East coast and craven billionaires and mad kings continue to play pickle-ball with our rights, lifting up the light has rarely felt more important.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Obi-Wan, the craven victor, revealing his true self.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The mayor denounced the attack as a cowardly act of aggression against the city's Jewish community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
-
On the flat arid plains below lives the farming community of the Bezaris, who are generally seen by the Hazerans as a group of privileged, cowardly usurers.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Outback Steakhouse, 4608 Bryant Irvin Road, Suite 421, live roaches and a dead roach was seen on top of raw chicken lid at the battering station.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Mar. 2026
-
This warmer weather refresh of chicken and biscuits shakes up both the filling and topping for a lighter and brighter take on the classic.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And all the while, our gutless politicians watch from the sidelines so as to not interfere and risk angering their party.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Trump and the gutless GOP Congress may be leading America into World War III.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
10 Jan. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Coward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coward. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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