COWARDS Synonyms: 25 Similar and Opposite Words

cowards

noun

plural of coward

as in cravens

a person who shows a shameful lack of courage in the face of danger the soldiers who ran as soon as the first shots were fired were branded as cowards

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cowards Some called them cowards; others opted for more colorful language. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026 There are always vultures circling, and always cowards caving. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 To me, moral cowards are those leaders around the world who refuse to sit down and negotiate a just and lasting peace. — ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026 No, and as true as all that might be, the most important lesson is that DEI turns people into cowards. — Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026 To me, the most notable change — outside of Robert not getting fully naked, you cowards — is that the meltdown is witnessed by much more of the senior class. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026 In reality, the refs just do the bidding of the cowards behind the curtain. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 14 July 2026 These are American cowards that are rooting against our Country. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 13 May 2026 And Trump calls ’em almost like cowards. — Chris Willman, Variety, 12 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cowards

Noun

Most of those are chickens, the species that makes up the overwhelming majority of land animals raised for food; about 166,000 of them, per The Guardian, were cattle.

— Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 24 Oct. 2026
If curious extraterrestrial visitors were to reconnoiter Earth, they might well be struck by a planet that nurtures such an inordinate number of chickens.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of chickens

Noun

Until the 19th century, most Westerners, including European royalty, ate with their knives (and considered Italians to be sissies for using forks).

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 Aug. 2026
The irony is that a minority once viewed as filled with sissies and losers is now portrayed as filled with bullies and power brokers, and straight people, especially men, seem to perceive themselves as the weak and afraid ones.

— Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026

Definition of sissies

Browse Nearby Words

cowardly

cowards

cowboy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cowards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cowards. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cowards

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes