Meanings
nouncowardness (uncountable)
- uncountableThe state, quality, or condition of being a coward.
Bycauſe they beleue, yf annye man be fearefull and faynte harted of nature, he wyll not onelye doo no manfull and hardye act hym ſelfe, but alſo by occaſyon of cowardenes to hys fellowes.
1551, Thomas More, “The Second Boke of the Communycacion of Raphael Hythlodaye, Concernynge the Best State of a Commen Wealthe: Cõteynyng the Discription of Utopia, with a Large Declaration of the Godly Gouernement, and of All the Good Lawes and Orders of the Same Ilande. Of Warfare.”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the Newe Yle Called Utopia: […], London: […] [Steven Mierdman for] Abraham Vele, […], →OCLC, signature P.iiij., rectoSynonyms: cowardice
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe state, quality, or condition of being a coward.
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Also see
Origin
- Middle Englishcowardnesse
- Englishcowardness
From Middle English cowardnesse; equivalent to coward + -ness.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
cowardness. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowardness
MLA
“cowardness.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowardness. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cowardness,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cowardness.
Source: cowardness on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.