Synonyms of cowardly

cowardly 1 of 2

adjective

as in afraid

having or showing a shameful lack of courage

a cowardly bully who picks on the weak and defenseless

vile charges that were made in a cowardly, unsigned letter

Synonyms & Similar Words

• afraid
• craven
• scared
• spineless
• gutless
• frightened
• pusillanimous
• dastardly
• unheroic
• yellow
• careful
• timid
• recreant
• poltroon
• fearful
• lily-livered
• chicken
• cautious
• weak
• chickenhearted
• timorous
• milk-livered
• diffident
• feeble
• chicken-livered
• wary
• fainthearted
• bashful
• unmanly
• coy
• shy
• soft

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• brave
• courageous
• heroic
• daring
• fearless
• gallant
• valiant
• hardy
• intrepid
• valorous
• stout
• brazen
• stalwart
• gutsy
• dauntless
• bold
• audacious
• cheeky
• heroical
• stouthearted
• spirited
• lionhearted
• doughty
• plucky
• resolute
• spunky
• greathearted
• nervy
• determined

cowardly

2 of 2

adverb

as in cravenly

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cravenly
• fearfully
• spinelessly
• timorously
• timidly
• pusillanimously
• shyly
• diffidently
• nervously
• anxiously
• apprehensively
• spiritlessly
• mousily
• skittishly
• cautiously
• prudently
• heedfully
• carefully

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• boldly
• courageously
• fearlessly
• bravely
• heroically
• manfully
• valiantly
• gallantly
• valorously
• stalwartly
• intrepidly
• resolutely
• firmly
• determinedly
• dauntlessly
• pluckily
• gamely
• stoutheartedly
• doughtily
• stoutly
• gutsily
• grittily
• spiritedly
• spunkily

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective cowardly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of cowardly are craven, dastardly, and pusillanimous. While all these words mean "having or showing a lack of courage," cowardly implies a weak or ignoble lack of courage.

a cowardly failure to stand up for principle

When would craven be a good substitute for cowardly?

The synonyms craven and cowardly are sometimes interchangeable, but craven suggests extreme defeatism and complete lack of resistance.

secretly despised her own craven yes-men

When is it sensible to use dastardly instead of cowardly?

While in some cases nearly identical to cowardly, dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous.

a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians

When could pusillanimous be used to replace cowardly?

In some situations, the words pusillanimous and cowardly are roughly equivalent. However, pusillanimous suggests a contemptible lack of courage.

the pusillanimous fear of a future full of possibility

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cowardly

Adjective

Playing Switzerland is a dangerous game for a Housewife — never choosing a side is seen as a cowardly position that quickly wears thin. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2025

Nothing is spared in recounting their odious criminal acts and the cowardly machinations of the church’s leadership to hide them. —Mary Jo McConahay, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2025

Adverb

Republicans called them cowardly, an accusation Democrats pushed back on. —Sam Gringlas, NPR, 10 May 2025

There’s an undercurrent of electricity between her and the ruthless cartel leader (Salma Hayek) using her as a bargaining chip, but Stone is too cowardly to let the hotties smooch, squandering the only energy Lively was able to muster for this potent strain of mess. —Lizzie Logan, Vulture, 2 May 2025