| Main Entry: | spineless |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | cowardly |
Synonyms: |
amoebalike, faint-hearted, fearful, feeble, forceless, frightened, gutless, impotent, inadequate, ineffective, ineffectual, invertebrate, irresolute, lily-livered, nerveless, pithless, soft, spiritless, squeamish, submissive, timid, vacillating, weak, weak-kneed, weak-willed, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
Antonyms: |
bold, brave, strong |
| Main Entry: | cowardly |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fearful |
Synonyms: |
afraid, anxious, apprehensive, backward, base, caitiff, chicken-hearted, cowering, cowhearted, craven, dastardly, diffident, dismayed, fainthearted, frightened, gutless, having the willies, jittery, lacking courage, lily-livered, nervous, no guts, panicky, paper tiger, pigeonhearted, pusillanimous, recreant, retiring, running scared, scared, shrinking, shy, soft*, spineless, timid, timorous, weak, weak-kneed, worthless, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
Antonyms: |
bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, unafraid, undaunted, unfearful |
| Main Entry: | fainthearted |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | timid |
Synonyms: |
afraid, cowardly, cowed, cowering, fearful, frightened, gutless, having cold feet, intimidated, lily-livered, meek, mousy, spineless, unassertive, weak, wimpy, yellow* |
| Main Entry: | fawning |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | deferential, groveling |
Synonyms: |
abject, adulatory, bootlicking, bowing, brownnosing, compliant, cowering, crawling, cringing, flattering, humble, ingratiating, kowtowing, mealy-mouthed, obsequious, parasitic, prostrate, scraping, servile, slavish, sniveling, spineless, submissive, subservient, sycophant, sycophantic |
Antonyms: |
aloof, cool, disinterested, proud, unfriendly |
| Main Entry: | fearful |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | alarmed, apprehensive |
Synonyms: |
aflutter, afraid, aghast, agitated, anxious, chicken, chickenhearted, diffident, discomposed, disquieted, disturbed, fainthearted, frightened, goose-bumpy, have cold feet, hesitant, in a dither, intimidated, jittery, jumpy, lily-livered, mousy, nerveless, nervous, nervy, panicky, perturbed, phobic, pusillanimous, quivery, rabbity, running scared, scared, shaky, sheepish*, shrinking, shy, skittish, solicitous, spineless, tense, timid, timorous, tremulous, uneasy, unmanly, weak-kneed, worried, yellow* |
| Notes: | someone may be fearful; someone or something may be fearsome |
Antonyms: |
bold, brave, courageous, inapprehensive, unafraid, unfearful |
| Main Entry: | gutless |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | timid |
Synonyms: |
abject, chicken*, chicken-hearted, coward, cowardly, craven, faint-hearted, feeble, irresolute, lily-livered, pusillanimous, spineless, submissive, weak, wimpy, yellow*, yellow-bellied |
Antonyms: |
bold, brave, courageous, gutsy, resolute |
| Main Entry: | ineffective/ineffectual |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | weak, useless |
Synonyms: |
abortive, anticlimactic, barren, bootless, defeasible, feckless, feeble, forceless, fruitless, futile, idle, impotent, inadequate, incompetent, indecisive, inefficacious, inefficient, inept, inferior, innocuous, inoperative, invertebrate, lame, limited, neutralized, nugatory, null, null and void, paltry, powerless, spineless, unable, unavailing, unfruitful, unproductive, unprofitable, unsuccessful, vain, void, withered, worthless |
Antonyms: |
competent, effective, effectual, efficient, powerful, strong, useful |
| Main Entry: | meek |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | shy; compliant |
Synonyms: |
acquiescent, deferential, docile, forbearing, gentle, humble, lenient, long-suffering, longanimous, lowly, manageable, mild, milquetoast, modest, nothing, orderly, pabulum, passive, patient, peaceful, plain, resigned, serene, soft, spineless, spiritless, subdued, submissive, tame, timid, tolerant, unassuming, unpretentious, unresisting, weak, weak-kneed, wishy-washy, yielding, zero* |
Antonyms: |
bold, brave, emboldened, immodest, impertinent, uninhibited |
| Main Entry: | nerveless |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | scared to death |
Synonyms: |
afraid, cowardly, debilitated, enervated, fearful, feeble, nervous, petrified, spineless, timid, weak, yellow-bellied |
Antonyms: |
brave, courageous, nervy, unafraid |
| Main Entry: | obsequious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | groveling, submissive |
Synonyms: |
abject, beggarly, brownnosing, complacent, compliable, compliant, cringing, crouching, deferential, enslaved, fawning, flattering, ingratiating, kowtowing, menial, obeisant, oily, parasitic, parasitical, prostrate, respectful, servile, slavish, sneaking, sniveling, spineless, stipendiary, subject, submissive, subordinate, subservient, sycophantic, toadying, unctuous |
Antonyms: |
arrogant, assertive, brazen, confident, presumptuous |