What does cowardliness mean?
Cowardliness is a noun meaning the quality or state of lacking courage — the disposition to shrink from danger, pain, or difficulty rather than confront it. It describes both isolated acts of timorousness and an ingrained character trait, and it carries strong negative connotations: to call something cowardliness is to pass moral judgement on it. In practice, however, the word is rare. English speakers overwhelmingly prefer 'cowardice', a shorter and more established term for precisely the same idea, so 'cowardliness' appears mostly in formal writing, older texts, or contexts where a writer wants a slightly different cadence. Related forms include the adjective 'cowardly' and the noun 'coward'. The word derives from 'coward', which entered English from Old French 'couard', based on 'coue' ('tail'), evoking an animal that puts its tail between its legs in fear. Though accurate, 'cowardliness' is best treated as a variant of 'cowardice' rather than the default choice.
nounThe quality or state of being a coward; lack of courage in facing danger, difficulty, or pain.
- Lack of courage; the characteristic behaviour or disposition of a coward.
"His cowardliness in refusing to defend his colleague cost him the respect of the whole team."
"She despised the cowardliness of those who spread rumours behind closed doors but stayed silent to people's faces."
"In the heat of battle, he showed no trace of cowardliness."
Almost never used in the plural; the word is nearly always treated as an uncountable mass noun referring to the general quality.
"The memoir catalogued the various cowardlinesses of its subject's career — a stylistic choice most editors would flag."
'Cowardliness' and 'cowardice' mean exactly the same thing — but one of them became a staple of English while the other quietly faded into near-obscurity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cowardliness
Cowardliness is formed within English by adding the suffix '-ness' to 'cowardly', producing an abstract noun denoting the state or quality involved. The root word 'coward' came into Middle English from Old French 'couard', itself derived from 'coue', meaning tail — the image being of a frightened animal lowering or tucking its tail. The word has been part of English since the medieval period, with 'cowardly' and derived abstract nouns following soon after.
Related word forms
How cowardliness is actually used
Cowardliness is considerably less common than its synonym 'cowardice', which is the preferred and more idiomatic term in contemporary English. It is a legitimate noun form, but style guides generally favour 'cowardice'. The adjective is 'cowardly' and the agent noun is 'coward'.
Easily confused with cowardliness
Cowardice is the far more common and standard term for the same quality; 'cowardliness' means the same thing but is rarer and often considered slightly awkward or redundant in modern usage.