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
-
Political courage is needed, especially from the cowardly, groveling Congress.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
18 Jan. 2026 -
Therefore, the cowardly officer could’ve later arrested her or simply disabled the vehicle by shooting out a tire with the same accuracy.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Please do not take the coward’s way.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 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
-
Hundreds of volunteers have packed and delivered grocery boxes to families too afraid to leave their homes.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
People are so afraid to go out and participate in public life regardless of their citizenship status.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
So does the craven poor judgment required by any public officials who hire him.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Dec. 2025
-
Unlike their cynical and craven counterparts in Texas, a majority of Indiana Republican state senators understood that short-term electoral gains weren’t worth sacrificing their principles.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
16 Dec. 2025
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
-
The student’s grandmother, who also lived in the home and was caring for the infant, was too frightened to pick up the older child at school, so officials scrambled to find the child’s uncle.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Firefighters immediately arrived at the scene and pulled frightened residents from windows, stairwells, and elevator shafts as the building erupted into flames.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
His mother, Ellen, wearing a gold top and black blazer, beamed with pride, holding a yellow napkin to dry her tears.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Skin color was not black, observed Roggeveen, but pale yellow or sallow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Poltroon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poltroon. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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