Thesaurus

cowering

adjective

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Synonyms & Antonyms of cowering

(Entry 1 of 2)

as in shrinking, cringing

Synonyms & Near Synonyms for cowering

cringing,
shrinking

acquiescent,
compliant,
deferential,
resigned,
submissive,
unaggressive,
unassertive,
yielding

ingenuous,
naive
(or naïve),
plain,
simple,
unaffected

demure,
down-to-earth,
humble,
lowly,
meek,
modest,
unassuming,
unpretentious

bashful,
diffident,
introverted,
mousy
(or mousey),
overmodest,
passive,
quiet,
reserved,
retiring,
sheepish,
shy,
subdued,
timid,
unobtrusive

aw-shucks,
self-deprecating,
self-deprecatory,
self-effacing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms for cowering

arrogant,
bumptious,
chesty,
conceited,
egotistic
(or egotistical),
fastuous,
haughty,
high-and-mighty,
highfalutin
(also hifalutin),
high-handed,
high-hat,
hoity-toity,
huffish,
huffy,
imperious,
lordly,
overweening,
peremptory,
pompous,
presuming,
presumptuous,
pretentious,
self-asserting,
self-assertive,
supercilious,
superior,
toplofty
(also toploftical),
uppish,
uppity

aggressive,
assertive,
audacious,
bold,
brash,
brassy,
cheeky,
forward,
impertinent,
impudent,
saucy

cocksure,
cocky,
confident,
hubristic,
overconfident,
self-confident

egocentric,
egoistic
(also egoistical),
narcissistic,
prideful,
self-affected,
self-centered,
self-complacent,
self-conceited,
self-congratulatory,
self-contented,
self-engrossed,
self-important,
self-obsessed,
self-pleased,
self-satisfied,
smug,
stuck-up,
swelled-headed

boastful,
bombastic,
braggy,
swaggering,
vain,
vainglorious

condescending,
disdainful,
dominant,
dominating,
domineering,
magisterial,
overbearing,
patronizing,
pontificating

flamboyant,
ostentatious,
showy

extroverted
(also extraverted),
immodest,
outgoing,
uninhibited,
unreserved

cowering

verb

present participle of cower

Synonyms of cowering (Entry 2 of 2)

to draw back or crouch down in fearful submission

the abused dog always cowered in the presence of its master

Synonyms for cowering

cringing,
groveling
(or grovelling),
quailing

Words Related to cowering

flinching,
recoiling,
shrinking,
squinching

blanching,
blenching,
whitening

fawning,
kowtowing,
toadying

Learn More About cowering

Thesaurus Entries Near cowering

cowered

cowering

cowers

Cite this Entry

“Cowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowering. Accessed 4 Dec. 2021.

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