Synonyms

cowed

American

[koud] / kaʊd /

adjective

frightened by threats, violence, superior strength or ability, etc.; intimidated or overawed.

No, I’m not worried about going up against the chess champion—what do you take me for, an easily cowed novice?

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of cow.

Other Word Forms

uncowed adjective

Etymology

Origin of cowed

First recorded in 1740–50; cow ² ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective; cow ² ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb

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.

Of course some of us wept and raged when he once again had to flee some bigger monkey that he had clearly annoyed, but while Punch was certainly cowed, he was never broken.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Powell’s statement Sunday signaled he is refusing to be cowed, which means, for now, interest-rate policy shouldn’t change.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

Rather than being cowed by the crowd, Newcastle made an aggressive start.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025

"But we will not be intimidated. We will not be cowed."

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

Van Riper was supposed to be cowed and overwhelmed in the face of a larger foe.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023