What does cowardliest mean?
Cowardliest is the superlative of cowardly and means more cowardly than any other member of a group or set. It is used especially of the person or conduct judged to show the greatest lack of courage. The word can characterize actions, as in “the cowardliest response to danger,” or people, as in “the cowardliest of the team,” though judgments about people often carry a stronger moral implication. Compared with cowardly, cowardliest adds emphasis rather than a new meaning: it identifies an extreme within an implied comparison. Its tone is forceful, evaluative, and often literary, making it suitable for formal commentary or dramatic narration but less common in neutral everyday description. The form is especially useful in rhetoric because the superlative ending intensifies the underlying criticism while preserving the ordinary sense of cowardly. Even when used figuratively, as for an especially weak or poorly judged solution, it retains the implication that some better, braver alternative was available.
adjectiveHaving or showing a greater lack of courage than anyone else in a group or set. It is the superlative form of cowardly.
- Having or showing the greatest lack of courage among a group of people, actions, or possibilities.
"Rather than warn the villagers, the cowardliest of the guards fled at the first sign of danger."
"His cowardliest decision was to abandon his friends when they needed him most."
"The editor described the proposal as the cowardliest attempt to avoid confronting the crisis."
Cowardliest is to cowardly what bravest is to brave: the superlative that puts an absolute extreme on a character judgment.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does cowardliest come from?
Cowardliest is formed by adding the regular English superlative ending -est to cowardly. Cowardly derives from the English noun coward, which was borrowed through Old French from medieval Latin; the adjective was established in English by the early modern period. The related noun cowardice was formed in late Middle English from the same root.
Related word forms
How cowardliest is actually used
Cowardliest is generally more emphatic and literary than cowardly. When applied to a person, it carries a strong moral judgment; when applied to an action or decision, it emphasizes the availability of a braver alternative.
Easily confused with cowardliest
Cowardly is the base adjective, while cowardliest is its superlative form, meaning the most cowardly member of a group or set.