1
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking strength of will or character
the spinelessness that the grown woman has shown in dealing with her overbearing mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fearfulness
a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger
charged the midshipman with sickening spinelessness under fire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spinelessness
Some protesters are there to boo and shame Benitez for her spinelessness.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spinelessness
Noun
-
Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety.—
Jillian Deutsch,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
-
In signing Díaz and Tucker, Los Angeles addressed two areas of weakness by throwing money at the top option on the market.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In other words, the age-old trance of acceptance has broken, and there are suddenly too many entrepreneurs capturing disaffected audiences by accusing legacy institutions of corruption and cowardice.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
How much cowardice must persist?—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Given the President’s long-standing support for corporate tax cuts and deregulation of industry, this pusillanimity is perhaps not so surprising.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Our logrolling, our stumps and their politics, our fisheries, our Negroes and Indians, our boasts and our repudiations, the wrath of rogues and the pusillanimity of honest men, the northern trade, the southern planting, the western clearing, Oregon, and Texas, are yet unsung.—
Mark Edmundson,
Harper’s Magazine ,
12 Dec. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Spinelessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spinelessness. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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