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| Main Entry: |
cower
 [kou-er] 
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | hide, hover in fear |
| Synonyms: | apple-polish, blench, bootlick, brownnose, cringe, crouch, draw back, fawn, flinch, grovel, honey*, kowtow, quail, recoil, shrink, skulk, sneak, toady, tremble, truckle, wince |
| Antonyms: | come out |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | cowardly |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fearful |
| Synonyms: | afraid, anxious, apprehensive, backward, base, caitiff, chicken-hearted, cowering, cowhearted, craven, dastardly, diffident, dismayed, fainthearted, frightened, gutless, having the willies, jittery, lacking courage, lily-livered, nervous, no guts, panicky, paper tiger, pigeonhearted, pusillanimous, recreant, retiring, running scared, scared, shrinking, shy, soft*, spineless, timid, timorous, weak, weak-kneed, worthless, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
| Antonyms: | bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, unafraid, undaunted, unfearful |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | cringe |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | flinch, recoil from danger |
| Synonyms: | blench, cower, crawl, crouch, dodge, draw back, duck, eat dirt, grovel, kneel, quail, quiver, shrink, shy, start, stoop, tremble, wince |
| Antonyms: | come forward |
Example Sentences
- But many of the delegates spent their time cowering in the conference centre.
- And the last scene of his cowering surrender to a nervous collapse is truly sad.
- Students were dropping from upper-story windows, cowering under desks, scrambling for cover or freezing where they stood.
| Main Entry: | crouch |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | stoop low; cringe |
| Synonyms: | bend, bend down, bow, cower, dip, duck, grovel, huddle, hunch, hunker down, kneel, quail, quat, scrooch down, squat, stoop, wince |
| Antonyms: | stretch |
| Main Entry: | fainthearted |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | timid |
| Synonyms: | afraid, cowardly, cowed, cowering, fearful, frightened, gutless, having cold feet, intimidated, lily-livered, meek, mousy, spineless, unassertive, weak, wimpy, yellow* |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | fawn |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | ingratiate oneself to; serve |
| Synonyms: | abase, apple-polish, be at beck and call, be obsequious, be servile, blandish, bow, brownnose, buddy up, butter up, cajole, cater to, cave in to, cotton, court, cower, crawl, creep, cringe, crouch, curry favor, debase, defer, fall all over, fall on one's knees, flatter, grovel, honey up, invite, jolly, kneel, kowtow, lay it on, lick boots, make up to, massage*, oil, pander, pay court, play up to, scrape, slaver, snow*, stoop, stroke*, submit, toady, truckle, woo*, yield |
| Antonyms: | ignore |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | fawning |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | deferential, groveling |
| Synonyms: | abject, adulatory, bootlicking, bowing, brownnosing, compliant, cowering, crawling, cringing, flattering, humble, ingratiating, kowtowing, mealy-mouthed, obsequious, parasitic, prostrate, scraping, servile, slavish, sniveling, spineless, submissive, subservient, sycophant, sycophantic |
| Antonyms: | aloof, cool, disinterested, proud, unfriendly |
| Main Entry: | fear |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | feel alarm; be scared of |
| Synonyms: | anticipate, apprehend, avoid, be afraid, be anxious, be apprehensive, be disquieted, be frightened, be in awe, blanch, break out in a sweat, cower, crouch, dare not, dread, expect, falter, feel concern, flinch, foresee, fret, have butterflies, have qualms, lose courage, quail, quaver, shrink, shudder, shun, shy, start, suspect, tremble, wilt, worry |
| Antonyms: | brave |
| Main Entry: | flinch |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | shy away, wince |
| Synonyms: | avoid, balk, blanch, blench, blink, cower, cringe, crouch, draw back, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, flee, quail, recede, recoil, retire, retreat, shirk, shrink, shun, start, swerve, withdraw |
| Antonyms: | confront, face, meet |
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
