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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spinelessness
Noun
-
The addition of shutdown closer Jhoan Duran has turned their bullpen from a weakness into a roster strength.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025 -
The milestone marks a symbolic win for the blue-chip index, highlighting the market’s resilience despite tariff concerns and signs of weakness in the economy.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This is a courageous act that requires vulnerability over cowardice.—
Julie Kratz,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
My silence felt like cowardice, stemming from a fear of alienation, of feeling unsafe—exactly what the ADL, unironically, pledges to ameliorate in school settings.—
Sahar Mustafah
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
What a profile in pusillanimity.—
The Editorial Board,
WSJ,
23 May 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Spinelessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spinelessness. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share