1
as in weak
lacking strength of will or character
a spineless man who let his wife make all the decisions
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cowardly
having or showing a shameful lack of courage
spineless seamen who trembled at the first roar of the cannon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of spineless
An erect, sprawling, and spineless cactus, the flowers are white, fragrant, and measure 12 inches long and 8 inches wide.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 15 June 2025
This is because her spineless boyfriend was with her on that bus and plane and sat 2 rows away.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 27 May 2025
Maybe, when seeing these mass rallies, spineless congressional Republicans might fear for their jobs more from the people than the dictator-in-chief.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 May 2025
Matt and his direct reports quickly reveal themselves to be spineless, self-important, thin-skinned, and out of touch.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spineless
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 15 June 2025
This is because her spineless boyfriend was with her on that bus and plane and sat 2 rows away.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 27 May 2025
Maybe, when seeing these mass rallies, spineless congressional Republicans might fear for their jobs more from the people than the dictator-in-chief.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 12 May 2025
Matt and his direct reports quickly reveal themselves to be spineless, self-important, thin-skinned, and out of touch.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for spineless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spineless
Adjective
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The Royals made a lot of weak contact, which resulted in a mix of groundouts.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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Last week, a weaker-than-expected jobs report added to expectations of an imminent rate cut by the central bank.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Qatar denounces ‘cowardly’ Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders Israel launched an aerial strike against senior Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday, in its first direct attack on Qatari soil, marking a significant escalation in regional tensions.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Now innocent children are dying because so many people were too cowardly to speak up.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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These symptoms are more likely to appear in kittens or felines with weakened immune systems.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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While most healthy people can recover in four to seven days without treatment, some vulnerable people, like children under 5, adults 65 and older, and those with weakened immune systems, may experience more severe illness that requires medical treatment or hospitalization.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Listen, by doing it this way, with a press release instead of a press conference, Rose looks both gutless and gutty at the same time.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2025
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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
Adjective
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Traditional shades of red and green remain present, but they’re joined by bubble gum pink and soft blue for a more eclectic palette.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
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Tejasvi designed it with large-font type to make text easier to see and read, and a soft, blue theme intended to be soothing to people who may come to the site fresh from a scam and be fearful or frazzled.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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When people aren’t afraid to flag phishing emails, report missteps or question suspicious behavior, organizations become more adaptive and resilient.—
Aliasgar Dohadwala,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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According to new research from SoFi, 44% of students and parents feel uninformed about student loans but are probably too afraid to ask questions.—
Brian Walsh,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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There are lots of good rebuttals to this craven move.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
5 Aug. 2025
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott is under severe pressure from President Donald Trump to restart one of the most craven and self-destructive practices of American politics in the 21st century: predatory gerrymandering.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 July 2025
Adjective
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Some also have lost lawyers, dismayed by the pusillanimous behavior of their leaders.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Spineless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spineless. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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