as in cowardly
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
a military commander who was so poltroon that he surrendered without having fired so much as a single shot
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
those poltroons in the state legislature who have caved in to bigotry on this important issue of basic civil rights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for poltroon
Adjective
-
My senators are too cowardly to talk to me.—
,
FOXNews.com,
6 Apr. 2026 -
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Time constraints once again strike here, but there’s also the fact that the movie drops the plot’s true twist — that Grace is a coward — only a few minutes before.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
-
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
Adjective
-
Don’t be afraid to wear your heart on your sleeve.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Is the economy struggling, with layoffs and wary investors afraid to lend?—
Alex Mayyasi,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
In a particularly craven twist, this letter enlisted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause to halt or hinder affinity programming in schools.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The nagging wife, the angry daughter and the spineless detective.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
He must be impeached, but with a spineless Congress and a corrupt Supreme Court how this will happen is in grave doubt.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The team caught up with Chesney on Wednesday and again Thursday night, but Johnson said the frightened kangaroo slipped away — once by jumping into a cold river — and Johnson lost track on the drone.—
John O'Connor,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Flavors include Superman, moose tracks, Dubai chocolate and Play Dough (bright yellow vanilla ice cream with chunks of red and blue cookie dough).—
Jenna Thompson
April 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Consider the orange and yellow ‘Gold Nugget’ or the silver-haired ‘Cobweb’ varieties for an eye-catching display.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Poltroon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltroon. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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