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Recent Examples of cowering
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Appraisal will rely on the extent of your Radiohead fandom and your identification with creature-characters, often crying or cowering with their head in their hands, who are unremittingly sad and ashamed and embarrassed by the barbarism of simple existence.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026
The latest release, Resident Evil Requiem, tries to appeal to both sides by starring a new character, the cowering FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, and a series favorite, action hero Leon Kennedy.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
His crackdown has more than a few similarities with a military invasion of some cities, his roundups have left immigrant communities cowering and their neighbors defiant.
—Phil Elliott, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
The homeless man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in a Manhattan apartment building was found cowering in a closet in upstate New York when cops zeroed in on his location, prosecutors said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
In some sense, there’s a palpable disgust that this community has responded not by cowering, not by submitting, not by being grateful for this sort of armed invasion that is meant to stress everyone out, but by trying to foil it.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Goetz saw two female passengers on the ground, paralyzed and cowering in fear.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Look to your right, where another patron, clad in the skin of a lion, will be cowering under his seat.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Verb
The Wolves will retreat to their corner, bandage some wounds and aim to actually come out swinging Friday after cowering in the corner for the bulk of Game 2.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
Appraisal will rely on the extent of your Radiohead fandom and your identification with creature-characters, often crying or cowering with their head in their hands, who are unremittingly sad and ashamed and embarrassed by the barbarism of simple existence.
—Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026
The latest release, Resident Evil Requiem, tries to appeal to both sides by starring a new character, the cowering FBI agent Grace Ashcroft, and a series favorite, action hero Leon Kennedy.
—Jay Peters, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
His crackdown has more than a few similarities with a military invasion of some cities, his roundups have left immigrant communities cowering and their neighbors defiant.
—Phil Elliott, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
The homeless man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in a Manhattan apartment building was found cowering in a closet in upstate New York when cops zeroed in on his location, prosecutors said Thursday.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
In some sense, there’s a palpable disgust that this community has responded not by cowering, not by submitting, not by being grateful for this sort of armed invasion that is meant to stress everyone out, but by trying to foil it.
—Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Goetz saw two female passengers on the ground, paralyzed and cowering in fear.
—Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026
Look to your right, where another patron, clad in the skin of a lion, will be cowering under his seat.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowering
Adjective
-
Re-wash and dry the garment, using these tips to avoid re-shrinking, to prevent a residue from the conditioner from setting.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Dermatologists are literally cringing about it.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The movie’s real sympathetic figure is Hall, played by Dacre Montgomery, who spends most of the movie cringing and flinching, while trying not to move.—
Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Participants will gain skills to develop mutual trust, respect, and mindfulness between Dominant and submissive.—
Rachel del Guidice,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
The original plot centered on the arrival of a submissive, quiet mail-order bride and her father from China, who sneaked into the country to marry a nightclub owner who had no idea that his mother had brought the girl over for him.—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Knorr and other team officials were in the room, but Stammen helped lead it without flinching.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The Alpha Wave acquisition suggests the Gulf’s biggest dealmakers aren’t flinching at opportunities in the US or being slowed by the war in Iran.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That amendment had been made a dead letter by Jim Crow state legislatures and an acquiescent Supreme Court.—
Robert D. Bland,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Trump is the most corrupt and scandal-plagued president since Nixon; indeed, his fiascoes eclipse Nixon’s, but many of them remain mostly or somewhat hidden, thanks in part to a much more acquiescent Republican Congress than the one Nixon had.—
David A. Graham,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
This film, so seemingly unassertive, apparently rambling and plotless, has a devastating impact and aftershock.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.—
Ellen Choi,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
All signatures are legally binding and compliant with eIDAS and ESIGN standards.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
11 May 2026
-
Accessibility The hotel offers two accessible guest rooms and ADA-compliant access throughout key public areas, including the lobby, Bar Daniel, and The Rosemary Rose.—
Susmita Baral,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
Adjective
-
Neither is the machine that, partway through the play, noisily turns the stage into a great berg of foam, which slowly subsumes a resigned Kramer.—
Talya Zax,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Her booking photo shows a woman with a tousled bun, hollow cheeks and a resigned expression.—
Raheem Hosseini,
San Francisco Chronicle,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cowering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowering. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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