English
Etymology
From Middle English *cowardly (adjective) and cowardly (adverb), equivalent to coward + -ly. Displaced native Old English earg.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkaʊədli/
Adjective
cowardly (comparative cowardlier or more cowardly, superlative cowardliest or most cowardly)
- Showing cowardice; lacking in courage; weakly fearful.
- Synonyms: craven; see also Thesaurus:cowardly
1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii]:The cowardly rascals that ran from the battle.
- 1780, Edmund Burke, speech at The Guildhall, in Bristol
- The cowardly rashness of those who dare not look danger in the face.
Derived terms
Translations
showing cowardice
- Arabic: جَبَان (ar) (jabān)
- Egyptian Arabic: جبان (gabān)
- Armenian: վախկոտ (hy) (vaxkot)
- Azerbaijani: qorxaq (az)
- Bashkir: ҡурҡаҡ (qurqaq)
- Basque: koldar
- Belarusian: баязлі́вы (bajazlívy)
- Bulgarian: страхли́в (bg) (strahlív), мекуша́в (bg) (mekušáv)
- Catalan: covard (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 膽小 / 胆小 (zh) (dǎnxiǎo), 膽怯 / 胆怯 (zh) (dǎnqiè, dǎnquè), 懦怯 (zh) (nuòqiè), 懦弱 (zh) (nuòruò)
- Czech: zbabělý (cs)
- Danish: fej
- Dutch: laf (nl)
- Esperanto: malkuraĝa, senkuraĝa, poltrona, kovarda (cowardly and ignoble)
- Finnish: pelkurimainen (fi), raukkamainen (fi)
- French: lâche (fr), veule (fr), bas (fr)
- Georgian: მშიშარა (mšišara), მხდალი (mxdali)
- German: feige (de)
- Greek: δειλός (el) (deilós)
- Ancient: δειλός (deilós), ἄσπλαγχνος (ásplankhnos)
- Gujarati: કાયર (kāyar), બીકણ (bīkaṇ)
- Hindi: कायर (hi) (kāyar), डरपोक (hi) (ḍarpok)
- Hungarian: gyáva (hu)
- Icelandic: huglaus
- Ingrian: arka
- Irish: meata
- Italian: codardo (it), pusillanime (it), vigliacco (it), vile (it)
- Japanese: へたれ (hetare), 臆病な (ja) (おくびょうな, okubyō na)
- Kazakh: қорқақ (kk) (qorqaq)
- Khmer: កំសាក (km) (kɑmsaak)
- Korean: 겁이 많다 (geob-i manta)
- Kyrgyz: коркок (ky) (korkok), коркунчаак (korkuncaak)
- Latin: īgnāvus
- Macedonian: плашлив (plašliv), кукавички (kukavički)
- Manx: faitagh
- Maori: hūngoingoi, hauwarea
- Middle English: coward
- Mongolian:
- Cyrillic: аймхай (mn) (ajmxaj), хулчгар (mn) (xulčgar)
- Norman: lâche
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: feig (no)
- Nynorsk: feig
- Old English: earg
- Old Punjabi: ਕਾਇਰੁ (kāiru)
- Ottoman Turkish: یوركسز (yüreksiz), طبانسز (tabansız)
- Pali: asūra, bhīru, bhīruka
- Persian: ترسو (fa) (tarsu)
- Plautdietsch: enjstlich
- Polish: tchórzliwy (pl)
- Portuguese: covarde (pt), cobarde (pt)
- Prakrit: 𑀓𑀸𑀬𑀭 (kāyara)
- Punjabi: ਕਾਇਰ (kāira), کائر (kā'ir)
- Romanian: laș (ro), fricos (ro), mișel (ro)
- Russian: трусли́вый (ru) (truslívyj), малоду́шный (ru) (malodúšnyj)
- Sanskrit: कातर (sa) (kātara), कापुरुष (sa) (kāpuruṣa), भीरु (sa) (bhīru)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: ку̏кавички
- Roman: kȕkavički (sh)
- Slovak: zbabelý
- Slovene: strahopeten (sl)
- Southern Altai: коркунчаак (korkunčaak)
- Spanish: cobarde (es)
- Swedish: feg (sv)
- Tatar: куркак (qurkak)
- Thai: ขี้ขลาด (th) (kîi-klàat), ขลาด (th) (klàat), ป๊อด (bpɔ́ɔt), ปอดแหก (th)
- Turkish: korkak (tr)
- Ukrainian: боягу́зливий (uk) (bojahúzlyvyj), боязки́й (uk) (bojazkýj), боязли́вий (uk) (bojazlývyj)
- Uyghur: قورقۇنچاق (qorqunchaq)
- Uzbek: qoʻrqoq (uz), yuraksiz (uz)
- Volapük: dredöfik (vo)
- Yiddish: פּחדניש (pakhdonish)
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Adverb
cowardly (comparative more cowardly, superlative most cowardly)
- (archaic) In the manner of a coward, cowardlily.
c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act II, scene v:We will not ſteale vpon him cowardly,
But giue him warning and more warriours.
1828, John Paul, A Refutation of Arianism[1], page 20:[…] men who cowardly and hypocritically subscribe orthodox creeds, whilst they teach a different kind of doctrine!
Translations
in the manner of a coward
- Catalan: covardament (ca)
- Danish: fej, kujonagtig, krysteragtig
- Finnish: pelkurimaisesti (fi), raukkamaisesti (fi)
- French: lâchement (fr)
- German: feige (de)
- Hindi: कायरतापूर्ण (kāyartāpūrṇ)
- Hungarian: gyáván (hu)
- Italian: vigliaccamente (it), pusillanimamente, vilmente (it)
- Japanese: へたれ (hetare)
- Middle English: cowardly
- Norman: lâchement
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: feig (no)
- Nynorsk: feig
- Portuguese: covardemente, cobardemente
- Romanian: laș (ro)
- Russian: трусли́во (ru) (truslívo), малоду́шно (ru) (malodúšno)
- Spanish: cobardemente
- Volapük: dredöfo, dredöfiko, (♂♀) dredöfaniko, (♂) hidredöfaniko, (♀) jidredöfaniko
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Middle English
Etymology
From coward + -ly (“adverbial suffix”).
Pronunciation
Adverb
cowardly
- In a cowardly or knavish way; cowardlily.
Descendants
References