cowardly

[ kou-erd-lee ]

adjective

1. lacking courage; contemptibly timid.

   Synonyms: chicken-hearted, lily-livered, white-livered, fainthearted, pusillanimous, dastardly, poltroon, craven, scared, afraid, fearful

   Antonyms: brave

2. characteristic of or befitting a coward; despicably mean, covert, or unprincipled:

   a cowardly attack on a weak, defenseless man.

adverb

1. like a coward.

cowardly

/ ˈkaʊədlɪ /

adjective

1. of or characteristic of a coward; lacking courage

Derived Forms

• ˈcowardliness, noun

Other Words From

• coward·li·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cowardly¹

First recorded in 1325–75 cowardly fordef 3, and in 1550–60 cowardly fordef 1; Middle English adverb couardli, couarli, couherdeli, is derivative of the adjective couard coward + -ly ( def )

Synonym Study

Cowardly, timid, timorous refer to a lack of courage or self-confidence. Cowardly means weakly or basely fearful in the presence of danger: The cowardly wretch deserted his comrades in battle. Timid means lacking in boldness or self-confidence even when there is no danger present: a timid person who stood in the way of his own advancement. Timorous suggests a timidity based on an exaggeration of dangers or on an imaginary creation of dangers: timorous as a mouse.

Example Sentences

“He was supposed to be in this courtroom but was too cowardly to do so,” Bernstein’s mother, Jeanne Pepper, told the court in her victim impact statement.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2022 she left the Democrat Party and initially registered as an independent - accusing her former party of being an “elitist cabal of warmongers” driven by "cowardly wokeness".

From BBC

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has criticised the "cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats" in a deepening diplomatic row with Canada.

From BBC

“It’s so disingenuous and it seems cowardly. And I don’t think the paper should be cowardly.”

From Los Angeles Times

Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Kelly said Armstrong's "cowardly and sickening actions took an innocent young life."

From BBC

Related Words

• dastardly