COWED Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

cowed 1 of 2

adjective

as in intimidated

Related Words

Relevance

cowed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of cow

as in bullied

to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats a sharp glare cowed the child into being quiet

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cowed

Verb

Far from being cowed, the backlash spurred Curott to advocate for Wiccan and pagan rights. — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026 Having already weathered so many attacks aimed at diminishing its power, the remaining Iranian leadership, which learned to tolerate hardship in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, is unlikely to be cowed by further aggression. — James F. Jeffrey, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026 Jordan, who escapes relatively unscathed, is at once cowed and traumatized yet committed to vengeance. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026 What stood out was his confidence; Bouaddi was never cowed up against the experienced pairing of Bruno Guimaraes and Casemiro. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 22 July 2026 Refusing to be cowed, Sartre responded to Aron with his own book on Marx, the nine-hundred-page Critique of Dialectical Reason, in 1960. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026 Instead, several of Kendall’s key allies are cowed by Logan’s intimidating presence — even Roman buckles under the pressure — and the media titan declares victory. — Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026 Producers have been cowed internally after the show has been undermined by a media company that has consistently refused to stand up for it in public. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 June 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowed

Adjective

Romania's Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism accused Andrew Tate of having sex with two minors and alleged that Tristan Tate helped his brother and intimidated victims.

— Bill Chappell, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
The biggest hurdle, though, is simply believing the Elle Woods who learns to prove her doubters wrong at 16 would be so intimidated when faced with doing it again at 22.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 June 2026

Definition of intimidated

Verb

His descriptions of being bullied in high school for his sexuality resemble plotlines from Very Special Episodes of TV, and his relationship with his ailing father is similarly generic.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026
Yes, Stark has painted, or, more accurately, anodized, powder-coated, and otherwise bullied into submission just about everything to black.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of bullied

Adjective

At times during the inquiry hearings, the nurses were almost browbeaten into accepting the inquiry’s premise.

— Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of browbeaten

Verb

Last Friday, the artist Pink published a lengthy criticism of Macklemore’s on-stage polemic, writing that his comments and use of violent wartime imagery had frightened many Jewish people, including her.

— Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 16 Sep. 2026
However, Stone told Bialik that she was not frightened by the encounter.

— Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of frightened

Adjective

The aching reality of life for oppressed Black people is never explicitly referred to.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence.

— Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppressed

Adjective

Firefighters rescued two construction workers, ages 27 and 29, who were trapped inside the crushed construction container, Miami Fire Chief Robert Hevia said during a news conference.

— Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Men routinely fall off buildings, get electrocuted, crushed or maimed.

— Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of crushed

Adjective

Living a dozen miles from their closest neighbor (who has a grudge with Lester), even further from the closest town (a downtrodden shell of its former self), and further still from any sort of hope — or temptation.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026
In the end, a downtrodden Sporting side came close to picking up an upset win but settled for a 1-1 draw.

— PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of downtrodden

Browse Nearby Words

cowboys

cowed

cower

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowed. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cowed

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

tactile

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes