poltroonery
Shameful lack of courage
Poltroonery is cowardly behavior—the conduct of someone who shrinks from danger or difficulty.
The word is literary and old-fashioned, carrying a theatrical quality that makes it useful for mock-serious condemnation: Such poltroonery! You won't even ask her to dance?
The noun form of poltroon, a contemptible coward.
Contemptible lack of courage
- dastardlinessTreacherous cowardly wickedness
- cravennessContemptible lack of bravery
- faintheartednessLacking resolve or nerve
- spinelessnessLack of courage
gutlessness · yellow-bellied · chickenhearted · lily-livered · white-livered · craven · cowardliness · unmanliness
Fearful uncertainty
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- terrorExtreme, overwhelming fear
- frightSudden intense fear
alarm · apprehension · quailing · trembling · cowering · shrinking · cringing · quaking
Tendency toward social timidity
- meeknessGentle, unassertive disposition
- diffidenceModest self-distrust
- hesitancyUnwillingness to proceed
- timorousnessHabitual fearfulness or shyness
bashfulness · reticence · nervousness · reserve · self-doubt · mousy · shrinking violet · wallflower
Lack of strength
- ineffectualityInability to produce results
- impotenceLack of strength or power
- powerlessnessInability to affect outcomes
- helplessnessLacking ability to cope
incapacity · spineless · jellyfish · doormat · wet blanket · pushover · namby-pamby · wishy-washy
pusillanimity
Contemptible lack of courage
- dastardlinessTreacherous cowardly wickedness
- cravennessContemptible lack of bravery
- faintheartednessLacking resolve or nerve
spinelessness · gutlessness · yellow-bellied · chickenhearted · lily-livered · white-livered · craven · cowardliness · unmanliness · pigeon-hearted
trepidation
Fearful uncertainty
fright · alarm · apprehension · quailing · trembling · cowering · shrinking · cringing · quaking · blanching
shyness
Tendency toward social timidity
- meeknessGentle, unassertive disposition
- diffidenceModest self-distrust
- hesitancyUnwillingness to proceed
timorousness · bashfulness · reticence · nervousness · reserve · self-doubt · mousy · shrinking violet · wallflower · unassertiveness
feebleness
Lack of strength
- ineffectualityInability to produce results
- impotenceLack of strength or power
- powerlessnessInability to affect outcomes
helplessness · incapacity · spineless · jellyfish · doormat · wet blanket · pushover · namby-pamby · wishy-washy · weak-kneed