as in cowardice
a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
the soldier was court-martialed for cowardliness under fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowardliness
Noun
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This shocking cowardice and sheer abandonment of any pretense of ethics or values are rendered even more shameful when considering that Noem was brought down by polls, likely more than anything else.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026 -
Such cancellations are a blot on the escutcheon of the left as certainly as cancellations from the right, and the deference of any publisher to them a mark of rank cowardice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Given the President’s long-standing support for corporate tax cuts and deregulation of industry, this pusillanimity is perhaps not so surprising.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Our logrolling, our stumps and their politics, our fisheries, our Negroes and Indians, our boasts and our repudiations, the wrath of rogues and the pusillanimity of honest men, the northern trade, the southern planting, the western clearing, Oregon, and Texas, are yet unsung.—
Mark Edmundson,
Harper’s Magazine ,
12 Dec. 2022
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Cite this Entry
“Cowardliness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowardliness. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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