as in intimidated
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as in bullied
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet
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Recent Examples of cowed
Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Still, the stereotype of the Spirit customer was not of a traveller cowed by a need to be thrifty.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
The Kid Line of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens drew raves from Sturm in the first two games up in Buffalo for its details and refusal to be cowed by the hostile environment in Buffalo.
—Stephen Conroy, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
Bruce Springsteen was standing up to the president, while universities and law firms were being cudgeled and cowed.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
We cannot be cowed into quiescence.
—Brian Kolp, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
School curriculums were sanitized; the press was cowed.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Glaser herself appeared somewhat cowed by her own brazenness — which turned out to be the setup for another bit.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
The senator and Navy veteran isn’t likely to be cowed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s lawless attempt to silence him by seeking to demote him post-retirement.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
The first two signal the domestic draw that pulls her lover into her orbit, time and time again; the last, her unwillingness to be cowed when the powers that be come to threaten her—and her influence over the other characters, to resist the bootheel of the bully.
—Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Still, the stereotype of the Spirit customer was not of a traveller cowed by a need to be thrifty.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
The Kid Line of Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten and James Hagens drew raves from Sturm in the first two games up in Buffalo for its details and refusal to be cowed by the hostile environment in Buffalo.
—Stephen Conroy, Hartford Courant, 24 Apr. 2026
Bruce Springsteen was standing up to the president, while universities and law firms were being cudgeled and cowed.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2026
We cannot be cowed into quiescence.
—Brian Kolp, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
School curriculums were sanitized; the press was cowed.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Glaser herself appeared somewhat cowed by her own brazenness — which turned out to be the setup for another bit.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Jan. 2026
The senator and Navy veteran isn’t likely to be cowed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s lawless attempt to silence him by seeking to demote him post-retirement.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowed
Adjective
-
In traditional settings, people often feel rushed, intimidated, and unseen.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
You may be used to texting and Snapchat, and may feel intimidated to talk to clients one-on-one on a call.—
Heather Kelly,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
And yet, the complex plot comes down to the bond between Albus and Scorpius, who are living in their fathers’ shadows, bullied and uncertain of themselves, as their connections with their dads falter.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
In a country like India, subjugated early in the history of capitalist imperialism, and then bullied after independence by the West, a degree of self-renunciation and collective sacrifice was widely understood to be requisite to economic and political self-strengthening.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Audiences who endured the Miramax era have been browbeaten to believe that the best picture Oscar should go to a period piece that chokes out a sob from audiences.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Not to the extent that the user is necessarily being browbeaten.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The victim accelerated to escape, but the suspect continued to follow her, which frightened her.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
-
The Lord in your convent frightened me, Jesus with his bloody palms and gaping mouth, eyes rolled back in terror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Irish were the original oppressed people from the English Empire, and the original colony.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
-
The body pointed to the fact that Iran’s Farabi cinema body, which oversees the country’s submission, was directly controlled by the hardline Islamic Republic regime government, which in turn has suppressed freedom of speech and brutally oppressed filmmakers across its 47 years in power.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Add crushed ice about halfway up and give a brief stir or swizzle, five to eight seconds, to begin the chilling process.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
6 June 2026
-
Unlike the Caribbean, where sand consists of crushed quartz, beaches in this part of northern Norway are made up of fragments of dead shells and calcareous algae that have accumulated over thousands of years.—
Dobrina Zhekova,
Travel + Leisure,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Consumers from both countries grew fed up with their economies in 2022, and those sentiment reports have remained downtrodden.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
And the dejected diehard of a downtrodden franchise isn’t truly stuck in a one-sided detrimental relationship.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowed. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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