cowardice
Lack of nerve
Cowardice is a lack of courage—the failure to act rightly because of fear.
It suggests not just feeling afraid but letting fear override duty or moral obligation: His cowardice in battle shamed his family.
The word carries strong disapproval; to accuse someone of cowardice is to question their character.
They showed cowardice in refusing to speak up.
Contemptible lack of courage
- spinelessnessLack of courage
- gutlessnessLack of bravery
- dastardlinessTreacherous cowardly wickedness
- poltrooneryContemptible lack of bravery
faintheartedness · yellow-bellied · chickenhearted · lily-livered · white-livered · funk · craven · timorous
Lack of courage
- powerlessnessInability to affect outcomes
- helplessnessLacking ability to cope
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
- frailtyWeakness of body
impotence · feebleness · inadequacy · ineffectuality · lack of backbone · softness · meekness · submissiveness
Act of escaping detection
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
- dodgingAvoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
- duckingBending to avoid impact
flight · retreat · withdrawal · fleeing · running away · backing down · shrinking · recoil
Intense anticipatory fear
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- frightSudden intense fear
- trepidationFearful uncertainty
apprehension · cold feet · trembling · jitters · alarm · anxiety · paralysis · freezing
Complete yielding to demands
- yieldingBending under pressure
- submissionYielding to another's will
- acquiescenceUnresisting acceptance
- cavingSport of exploring caverns
backing down · giving in · white flag · concession · resignation · succumbing · folding · defeat
pusillanimity
Contemptible lack of courage
- spinelessnessLack of courage
- gutlessnessLack of bravery
- dastardlinessTreacherous cowardly wickedness
poltroonery · faintheartedness · yellow-bellied · chickenhearted · lily-livered · white-livered · funk · craven · timorous · quailing
spinelessness
Lack of courage
- powerlessnessInability to affect outcomes
- helplessnessLacking ability to cope
- vulnerabilityOpenness to harm
frailty · impotence · feebleness · inadequacy · ineffectuality · lack of backbone · softness · meekness · submissiveness · passivity
evasion
Act of escaping detection
- shirkingAvoiding obligatory tasks
- dodgingAvoiding by moving aside
- sidesteppingMoving aside to avoid
ducking · flight · retreat · withdrawal · fleeing · running away · backing down · shrinking · recoil · escape
dread
Intense anticipatory fear
trepidation · apprehension · cold feet · trembling · jitters · alarm · anxiety · paralysis · freezing · losing nerve
capitulation
Complete yielding to demands
- yieldingBending under pressure
- submissionYielding to another's will
- acquiescenceUnresisting acceptance
caving · backing down · giving in · white flag · concession · resignation · succumbing · folding · defeat · abandonment
- human flawsmistake, error, flaw, fault, failing
- bad behaviorslying, cheating, stealing, rudeness, gossiping
- personality traitsextraversion, agreeableness, introvert, neuroticism, temperament
- themesgood vs evil, theme, love, motif, revenge
- traitshonesty, ambitious, brave, calm, kindness
- vicesgreed, envy, lust, gluttony, vanity
cowardicecourage
Fortitude facing danger
bravery · valor · heroism · gallantry · fearlessness
cowardiceboldness
Fearless readiness to act
daring · audacity · fearlessness · bravado · brazenness