cowardly
English · Thesaurus
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cowardly
- /ˈkaʊədli/ UK
Where it comes from
From Middle English *cowardly (adjective) and cowardly (adverb), equivalent to coward + -ly. Displaced native Old English earg.
adjective cowardlier · more cowardly · cowardliest · most cowardly
-
Showing cowardice; lacking in courage; weakly fearful.
The cowardly rascals that ran from the battle.
Similar: craven, backboneless, base, soft, bitch-ass, boneless, caitiff, candy-assed, chicken, chicken-hearted, chicken-livered, chickenshit
Opposite: brave
adverb more cowardly · most cowardly
- In the manner of a coward, cowardlily. We will not ſteale vpon him cowardly, But giue him warning and more warriours.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pusillanimous, white-livered, lily-livered, coward, poor-spirited, craven, poltroon, dastardly, dastard, caitiff, timid, fainthearted, chickenhearted, faint, fearful, cringing
adjective
Opposite: brave
Translations
Every language
adj showing cowardice
| Español | cobarde |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 겁이 많다 geob-i manta |
| 日本語 | へたれ hetare, 臆病な okubyō na |
| 中文 | 膽小 /胆小 dǎnxiǎo, 膽怯 /胆怯 dǎnqiè, dǎnquè, 懦怯 nuòqiè, 懦弱 nuòruò |
| हिन्दी | कायर kāyar, डरपोक ḍarpok |
| Português | covarde, cobarde |
| Français | lâche, veule, bas |
| Deutsch | feige |
| Italiano | codardo, pusillanime, vigliacco, vile |
| Ελληνικά | δειλός deilós |
| Română | laș, fricos, mișel |
| Русский | трусли́вый truslívyj, малоду́шный malodúšnyj |
| العربية | جَبَان jabān |
adv in the manner of a coward
| Español | cobardemente |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | へたれ hetare |
| हिन्दी | कायरतापूर्ण kāyartāpūrṇ |
| Português | covardemente, cobardemente |
| Français | lâchement |
| Deutsch | feige |
| Italiano | vigliaccamente, pusillanimamente, vilmente |
| Română | laș |
| Русский | трусли́во truslívo, малоду́шно malodúšno |
Talk about this word "cowardly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cowardly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cowardly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cowardly "cowardly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cowardly.Cite this
@misc{cowardly_2026,
title = {cowardly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cowardly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
