dastard
1
9.9
A person who is cowardly and betrays others to save themselves
- noun
- /ˈdæstərd/
- Offensive
:
cobarde
- Everyone knew he was a dastard for betraying his friends to save himself.
Examples
-
The dastardly act of lying to the team revealed his cowardice.
-
You're both dastards.
Fiction book (1990) -
Constitution be darned with these weak-kneed, yellow-bellied dastards.
Blog text (1) -
The dastard ran away rather than face the consequences of his actions.
Synonyms
358
2.3
A person who is too afraid to face danger or hard things
adds dishonour and shameful behaviour beyond mere lack of courage
9
9.9
A rude word for a person who is cowardly or mean
includes fearfulness or dishonour, not only moral contempt
1
9.9
A person who is very afraid to face danger or problems
is less extreme in fear, describing a milder lack of courage
Antonyms
How Brave
Surface Forms
Etymology
Dastard is an old word for a coward and is the noun form of the more common adjective dastardly, and it probably comes from earlier words that meant 'to fail' or 'be weak'. So a dastard is someone who acts dishonorably because they are afraid.