Definitions

cowardly

[kou-erd-lee] / ˈkaʊ ərd li /

ADJECTIVE

fearful

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dastardly

WEAK

afraid anxious apprehensive backward base chicken-hearted cowering cowhearted craven diffident dismayed fainthearted frightened gutless having the willies jittery lacking courage lily-livered nervous no guts panicky pigeonhearted pusillanimous recreant retiring running scared scared shrinking shy soft spineless timid timorous weak weak-kneed worthless yellow yellow-bellied

Antonyms

WEAK

bold brave courageous daring dauntless unafraid undaunted unfearful

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

cowardly

“This is so cowardly & pathetic,” posted Stephanie Grisham, a former Trump press secretary turned critic.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, saying "such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan".

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

It wasn’t a cowardly Congress that killed the measure.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

But once war arrives, it’s futile and cowardly to try to stand apart from it on the pretext that you’re not responsible for it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

I had a momentary cowardly thought of not giving him my complete name.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

cowardly

Example Sentences

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