spinelessness

noun

Definition of spinelessnessnext
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of spinelessness Some protesters are there to boo and shame Benitez for her spinelessness. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spinelessness
  1. weakness
  2. cowardice
  3. pusillanimity
Noun
  • If a bear market arrives shortly after retirement, a cash reserve can allow a family to meet expenses without immediately selling long-term investments into weakness.
    — Steve Booren, Denver Post, 16 Aug. 2026
  • To be sure, efforts to prop up the yen were seen as short-term measures to address the symptoms rather than the root causes of the currency’s weakness.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of weakness
Noun
  • Indeed, cowardice in this situation sends exactly the wrong message.
    — Ivan Oransky, STAT, 31 July 2026
  • From its beginnings as a form, the novel has dealt with love and hate, war and peace, courage and cowardice, boredom and catastrophe.
    — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of cowardice
Noun
  • If such pusillanimity continues, Democrats risk losing their party to a band of true believers no less destructive than the furthest extremes of the MAGA movement.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of pusillanimity

Browse Nearby Words

spinelessly
spinelessness
spines
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Cite this Entry

“Spinelessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spinelessness. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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