as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in coward
a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
a craven who ran away and left everyone else behind to deal with the crisis
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fearfulness
a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
it was sheer cravenness to avoid the consequences of your actions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of craven
Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
Fresh off a terrifying election cycle that feels like a fever dream (or the most craven Ryan Murphy series), America in 2025 is downright disorienting.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2025
Trump has already turned a national tragedy into a craven, baseless political attack by blaming DEI programs at the FAA and past administrations.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Between the lines: One view is that these actions are simply craven pandering.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for craven
Adjective
From the ground, the social-media response looked self-interested and craven, a reminder of the dissonance between the two realities.
—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
Fresh off a terrifying election cycle that feels like a fever dream (or the most craven Ryan Murphy series), America in 2025 is downright disorienting.
—Christopher Rosa, Glamour, 14 Feb. 2025
Trump has already turned a national tragedy into a craven, baseless political attack by blaming DEI programs at the FAA and past administrations.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
Between the lines: One view is that these actions are simply craven pandering.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for craven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for craven
Adjective
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Don’t be afraid of just pausing for a second — this could be a great time for more dirty talk or caressing — particularly once the whole hand is inside.—
Quispe López,
Them.,
30 Apr. 2025
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Hairston impressed at the combine in Indianapolis by running a 4.28 40-yard dash and has the speed to keep everything in front while not being afraid to get physical.—
Bryce Lazenby,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2025
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The cowardly capitulation of Paul Weiss and Skadden Arps are negative examples to be learned from.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The second believed the United States could attain comprehensive security through military-technological means and saw diplomacy as a quixotic or pusillanimous enterprise that dishonored and weakened the country.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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In this instance, though, the Administration is not attempting to trample on powerless civil servants or migrants, or pusillanimous law firms, or universities that don’t have as much money as Harvard does.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Bears should be hoping other teams are scared off by Campbell’s shorter-than-ideal arms.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2025
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But much of the problem then was that Europeans were simply not scared enough to do their part.—
Barry R. Posen,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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When a deputy arrived, the victim was shaking and frightened, the complaint said.—
Dylan Gentile,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
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The next night, her sister Gwen said Selonia became frightened when a relative who was visiting Selonia spotted Jimmy Ray Barnes near her home.—
Vladimir Duthiers, Paul LaRosa,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Two baseballs flew down toward the San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar from the left-field corner stands, the gutless moves of two cowards.—
Bill Plaschke,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Oct. 2024
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And the really jaw-dropping part of AMLO’s gutless abdication?—
Tim Padgett,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2024
Adjective
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Trump and his spineless acolytes continue to lie to the American people.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 Apr. 2025
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Make no mistake: New York's seniors are paying the price for Lawler's weak and spineless leadership.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Based on author Gregory Maguire’s spin on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of its most dastardly villain, Wicked follows would-be nemeses Galinda (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba as their unlikely friendship blossoms in college.—
Sezin Koehler,
EW.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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The closer analogy may actually be to Star Wars, a story about a boy named Luke Skywalker who is told that a dastardly villain called Darth Vader killed his father, Anakin Skywalker, only to discover that Vader is his father.—
Eliana Dockterman,
Time,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Craven.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/craven. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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