as in afraid
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
pusillanimous politicians who vote according to whichever way the political wind is blowing
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Recent Examples of pusillanimous
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
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
There was no fanfare — indeed no announcement or change in Oscar rules — but a firestorm of controversy resulted, followed by the Academy’s cowardly, pusillanimous silence on the issue.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Mar. 2025
Mark Kelly Americans who are rightfully appalled by the pusillanimous response to anti-Semitism on college campuses have been pulling their donations and calling for restrictions on anti-Israel student groups.
—Arthur Levitt, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2023
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
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
There was no fanfare — indeed no announcement or change in Oscar rules — but a firestorm of controversy resulted, followed by the Academy’s cowardly, pusillanimous silence on the issue.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Mar. 2025
Mark Kelly Americans who are rightfully appalled by the pusillanimous response to anti-Semitism on college campuses have been pulling their donations and calling for restrictions on anti-Israel student groups.
—Arthur Levitt, WSJ, 12 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pusillanimous
Adjective
-
The problem, at its core, is that people have been afraid to leave their homes to go to work as a result of the ICE surge.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, some staff members, other career officials say, are afraid to voice dissenting views for fear of being fired.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 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
-
It’s populated by craven, cowardly traitors.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Thomas Jefferson, the great hero of the Declaration of Independence, is shown as hypocritical, cowardly, manipulative, a schemer of every kind.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Scared and frightened, the only way to relieve the pain is to sell.—
,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And all the while, our gutless politicians watch from the sidelines so as to not interfere and risk angering their party.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
-
As a result, politicians have been too gutless to tax their biggest donors.—
Joe Garofoli,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Jan. 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
-
Camarillo, a substitute teacher, is also scared for her students.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
-
When people are scared to see their primary doctor for routine care like asthma check-ups with inhaler refills, illnesses advance and require more intense healthcare utilization.—
Dr. Lauren Palladino,
Hartford Courant,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
SkyEye was up over Falmouth, Massachusetts Tuesday, to capture the moment when a treasured yellow lab named Tessie was rescued from a deep backyard sinkhole.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
These discrepancies across the series are a function of the verdigris, orange, green, blue, and yellow paint that frames the photographs, shifting one’s perception of the color register therein, even though the plates are themselves unaltered.—
Julian Stern,
Artforum,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pusillanimous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pusillanimous. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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