Synonyms for cowardly

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1. Lacking courage

   timid, timorous, frightened, shrinking, afraid, fearful, shy, diffident, backward, retiring, cowering, apprehensive, nervous, anxious, full of dread, dismayed, fainthearted, panicky, scared, scary*, jittery*, chicken*, chicken-hearted*, chicken-livered*, lily-livered*, rabbit-hearted*, yellow*, yellow-bellied*, afraid of one's own shadow*; see also afraid 1, timid 1.

   Antonyms fearless, brave*, intrepid.

2. Suggestive of a coward

   pusillanimous, poltroonish, craven, dastardly, recreant, poor-spirited, mean-spirited, weak, bullying, base, soft, unmanly, irresolute, spineless, gutless*, wimpy*, wimpish*; see also weak 3.

3. In the manner of a coward

   skulking, sneaking, cringing, cowering, trembling, shaken, crouching, wincing, quailing, shaky, running, quaking, shaking like a leaf, pale with fear, in a funk*, showing the white feather*, shaking in one's boots*.

cowardly, the general term, suggests a reprehensible lack of courage in the face of danger or pain a cowardly deserter; craven implies abject or fainthearted fear a craven fear for one's life; pusillanimous implies an ignoble, contemptible lack of courage or resolution pusillanimous submission; dastardly connotes a sneaking, malicious cowardice that is manifested in a despicable act a dastardly informer