as in cowardly
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
his dastardly conduct in a critical moment haunted him for the rest of his life
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Recent Examples of dastardly
From a deafening Target Center crowd, that would not let four injuries and 40 years of Minnesota sports fatalism dull their urge to see their Timberwolves send those dastardly Denver Nuggets packing for the summer, and maybe for good.
—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
The bullet chamber, thanks to dastardly Judd, is empty.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Winter lasts a dastardly long time in Minnesota.
—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
Dickinson came close, but was unfortunately outdone by dastardly Internet gamesmanship.
—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dastardly
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
The bullet chamber, thanks to dastardly Judd, is empty.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Winter lasts a dastardly long time in Minnesota.
—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
Dickinson came close, but was unfortunately outdone by dastardly Internet gamesmanship.
—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dastardly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dastardly
Adjective
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But even the most perfect Constitution can be undone by the wicked with the help of the bought, the stupid, and the cowardly.
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Lindsey Graham is a career, corrupt, cowardly politician.
Adjective
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That's the part so many seem afraid to say out loud.
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The people who worked for cooperatives were particularly afraid.
Adjective
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This origin tale of Don Diego Vega, and his masked adventurer/avenger alter ego Zorro, righting wrongs against craven evildoers in early-day California, was adapted into a silent movie hit in 1920.
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It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.
Adjective
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Still, farmworkers across the country are scared to go to work.
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In Utah, doctors continue to reassure scared patients and lobby for better public health policy.
Adjective
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RodrÃguez acknowledged that many remain too frightened to return home even after inspections declared some buildings safe.
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Some days are spent inside an Ebola Treatment Unit caring for patients who are frightened, isolated, and desperately ill.
Adjective
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Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.
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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.
Adjective
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This butter-yellow tunic feels cheerful, airy, and incredibly chic for summer.
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Neon blue airbrushing radiated off a sunshine-yellow base, while hot pink auras stood in stark contrast to white French tips.
Adjective
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Yes, Arsenal fan Neel from New Delhi held his nerve on the final day to shake off the persistent and heroic challenge of six-year-old Wilfred — and the meandering, distinctly unheroic challenge of a 51-year-old journalist.
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That larger significance is remarkably unheroic and fatalistic.
Cite this Entry
“Dastardly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dastardly. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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