What does cowardice mean?
Definitions for cowardice
ˈkaʊ ər dɪscow·ardice
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word cowardice.
Princeton's WordNet
cowardice, cowardlinessnoun
the trait of lacking courage
Wiktionary
cowardicenoun
Lack of courage.
Etymology: cowardise, from cuardise (modern French: couardise).
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Cowardicenoun
Fear; habitual timidity; pusillanimity; want of courage.
Etymology: from coward.
Certes, sir knight, ye been too much to blame,
Thus for to blot the honour of the dead;
And with foul cowardice his carcase shame,
Whose living hands immortaliz’d his name. Fairy Queen.Gallant and fearless courage will turn into a native and heroick valour, and make them hate the cowardice of doing wrong. John Milton, on Education.
None was disgrac’d; for falling is no shame,
And cowardice alone is loss of fame;
The vent’rous knight is from the saddle thrown,
But ’tis the fault of fortune, not his own. John Dryden, Fables.This great, this holy, this terrible Being, is present to all our affections; sees every treacherous inclination of our heart to desert his service; and treasures up, against the day of his wrath, the secret cowardice which deters us from asserting his cause, which prevails on us to compliment the vices of the great, to applaud the libertine, and laugh with the prophane. John Rogers, Sermon 4.
Wikipedia
Cowardice
Cowardice is a trait wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumbs to cowardice is known as a coward.As the opposite of bravery, which many historical and current human societies reward, cowardice is seen as a character flaw that is detrimental to society and thus the failure to face one's fear is often stigmatized and/or punished.
ChatGPT
cowardice
Cowardice is a characteristic or trait defined by a lack of courage or bravery in facing fear, danger, difficulty, or adversity. It is often associated with the act of running away from challenging situations instead of confronting them.
Webster Dictionary
Cowardicenoun
want of courage to face danger; extreme timidity; pusillanimity; base fear of danger or hurt; lack of spirit
Etymology: [F. couardise, fr. couard. See Coward.]
Wikidata
Cowardice
Cowardice is a trait wherein fear and excess self-concern override doing or saying what is right, good and of help to others or oneself in a time of need—it is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. “Cowardice is impotence worse than violence. The coward desires revenge but being afraid to die, he looks to others, maybe to the government of the day, to do the work of defense for him. A coward is less than a man. He does not deserve to be a member of a society of men and women.” - Mahatma Gandhi Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in combat is a crime punishable by death. The term describes a character flaw which has been shunned and disdained within most, if not all cultures, whilst courage, typically viewed as a virtue, is admired and encouraged.
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
cowardice
Are criminal by law, even in the crew of a merchant-ship. Such poltroonery is very rare.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
cowardice
See Appendix, Articles of War, 42.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of cowardice in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of cowardice in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9
Examples of cowardice in a Sentence
There was a question about other people’s involvement, i should have followed up on that. I think my failure to say something can only be described as cowardice. I was a coward.
The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice.
I've thought about long and hard. I think it comes to cowardice. I think it comes to a cult-like mentality. I think these people are brainwashed. They are experiencing truckloads of cognitive dissonance. I talk to many girls outside the swimming pool [at the competition and asked] ‘what is a woman?’ And they literally would not speak. It's really sinister.
I wonder if it isn't just cowardice instead of generosity that makes us give tips.
The opposite for courage is not cowardice, it is conformity. Even a dead fish can go with the flow.
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References
Translations for cowardice
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- جبانةArabic
- страхливостBulgarian
- covardiaCatalan, Valencian
- zbabělostCzech
- fejhedDanish
- Feigheit, Ängstlichkeit, KleinmutGerman
- δειλία, ανανδρίαGreek
- malkuraĝecoEsperanto
- cobardíaSpanish
- pelkuruusFinnish
- lâchetéFrench
- cladhaireachdScottish Gaelic
- py'amirĩGuaraní
- פחדנותHebrew
- कायरताHindi
- gyávaságHungarian
- coardiaInterlingua
- kekecutan, kepengecutanIndonesian
- poltroneso, deskurajoIdo
- ragmennska, bleyði, gunguskapur, heigulshátturIcelandic
- viltà, pusillanimità, vigliaccheria, codardiaItalian
- 憶病Japanese
- 비겁Korean
- bêcesaretî, tirsonekî, newêrekî, tirsokî, bêcuretîKurdish
- feighetNorwegian
- lafheidDutch
- feigskapNorwegian Nynorsk
- covardiaPortuguese
- lașitate, poltronerieRomanian
- бзде́ние, трусость, малоду́шиеRussian
- feghetSwedish
- పిరికితనముTelugu
- dredöfVolapük
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"cowardice." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Jul 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/cowardice>.
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