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cowardice

cowardice

46 5.5
Lack of courage to face danger or difficulty
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊərdɪs/
translation icon : cobardía
  • His constant avoidance of challenges revealed his cowardice to the entire team.
  • cowardice and incompetence
  • moral cowardice
  • call it cowardice

But you know, I, I've always said that cowardice is catching.

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Examples

  • The charge is cowardice in the face of the enemy.

  • Failure to date reflects the cowardice of Arab leadership unwilling to press the fight.

    Academic text (2007)
  • All right, Thomas, make me understand because I tell you now, to me this looks like cowardice.

  • Cowardice is one thing I guess we can never forgive ourselves.

  • Instead, they both demonstrate pure cowardice.

  • I am relieving you of command on the basis of cowardice in the face of a national emergency.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • And they rejected the offer, which is cowardice and in my opinion anyway, and in the very least kind of shows what they think of their own customers.

  • The first sign of treachery or cowardice, you'll be killed.

  • Those who refuse to commit are given a white feather, a symbol of cowardice and treachery.

  • It wasn't a simple act of cowardice.

Synonyms

timidity
vscowardice
7 5.8

Feeling too shy or afraid to try new things

applies more broadly to fear in any dangerous situation
fearfulness
vscowardice
1 4.5

Being easily frightened and nervous in new or dangerous situations

is specifically fear when facing danger or adversity rather than general fear
cowardliness
vscowardice
1 6.6

Lack of courage when facing danger or difficulty

is the main noun form rather than the variant
pusillanimity
vscowardice
  • Offensive
1 9.9

Being too afraid to do what is needed

is about simple fear of danger, not moral contempt or weakness
timidness
vscowardice
1 4.9

Feeling afraid and not confident in new or unknown situations

covers fear facing danger generally rather than only unfamiliar settings
pusillanimousness
vscowardice
  • Formal
9.9

A lack of courage that makes a person afraid to act

is the general lack of courage in danger rather than a character trait
poltroonery
vscowardice
  • Archaic
9.9

A complete lack of courage that makes someone act shamefully

is the plain term for being fearful without moral judgement
dastardliness
vscowardice
  • Archaic
9.9

Being very cowardly in a shameful way

describes fearfulness simply, not necessarily moral shame
cravenness
vscowardice
  • Formal
9.9

A shameful fear that makes a person avoid danger and refuse to stand up for others

is the neutral description of fear without meanness
fearsomeness
vscowardice
6.4

A tendency to be easily scared or nervous

focuses on courage lacking in danger rather than nervous temperament

Antonyms

1.4

Doing something even if you feel afraid or are in danger

104 2.3

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

How Brave

heroism
57 4.2
courage
1.4
cowardice
46 5.5
timidity
7 5.8
fearfulness
1 4.5

Surface Forms

cowardice singular
cowardices plural

Morphology

cowardice = coward (transparent) = coward + ice

The meaning is directly derived from 'coward' + the noun-forming suffix '-ice' to denote the state or quality of being a coward.

Etymology

The word cowardice comes from an old word for 'tail' (cauda), because people who ran away were said to 'turn their tail' like an animal. So, cowardice means 'lack of courage', because it gives the picture of someone running away instead of facing danger.