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cravenness

cravenness

9.9
A shameful fear that makes a person avoid danger and refuse to stand up for others
  • noun
  • /ˈkreɪvənəs/
  • Formal
translation icon : cobardía
  • That unsturdy foundation alone—a compound of indecision, cravenness, and squandered credibility—is one reason why the policy would be likely to fail.

Examples

  • He thinks that communism is totally unrealistic in the cravenness of human nature.

  • If Obama strikes back and exposes these attacks as utter bullshit and political cravenness in the way Warren did, with confidence, clarity, and a bit of anger, he'll knock Romney down to a point below where he stood going into the first debate.

    Blog text (14)
  • Many people criticized the cravenness of the leaders who avoided making tough decisions during the crisis.

  • His cravenness in the face of confrontation disappointed his friends, who expected him to stand up for what is right.

  • The movie depicted the cravenness of the characters who chose betrayal over loyalty for personal gain.

Synonyms

cowardice
vscravenness
46 5.5

Lack of courage to face danger or difficulty

adds contempt and meanness to that fearful failure to stand firm
pusillanimity
vscravenness
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Being too afraid to do what is needed

adds a sense of meanness and moral baseness to that fear
cowardliness
vscravenness
1 6.6

Lack of courage when facing danger or difficulty

is the same lack but framed as morally shameful and mean spirited
spinelessness
vscravenness
1 7.7

A lack of courage or will to act

marks a similar weakness but with added mean spirited moral shame
dastardliness
vscravenness
  • Archaic
9.9

Being very cowardly in a shameful way

emphasizes fear plus a mean spirited lack of moral courage
poltroonery
vscravenness
  • Archaic
9.9

A complete lack of courage that makes someone act shamefully

stresses fearful behavior that is also mean spirited and vile
pusillanimousness
vscravenness
  • Formal
9.9

A lack of courage that makes a person afraid to act

focuses more on contemptible, mean spirited weakness rather than mere timidity
fearsomeness
vscravenness
6.4

A tendency to be easily scared or nervous

is stronger, stressing contemptible and mean spirited moral failing

Antonyms

104 2.3

A person's willingness to face danger or pain without fear

8 4.1

Not being afraid in danger or trouble

How Brave

heroism
57 4.2
bravery
104 2.3
courage
1.4
cravenness
  • Formal
9.9
timidity
7 5.8

Surface Forms

cravenness singular
cravennesses plural

Morphology

cravenness = craven (transparent) = craven + ness

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ness' to the adjective 'craven' to indicate the quality of being cowardly.

Etymology

Cravenness comes from craven, which itself came from an old French word meaning 'defeated' or 'without courage'. Think of it as the opposite of brave: cravenness is the quality of pulling back or giving up when danger comes, which is why it means being cowardly.