What does pusillanimity mean?
Pusillanimity is a formal noun meaning cowardice, timidity, or a conspicuous lack of courage. It describes a failure to confront danger, difficulty, disagreement, or responsibility, often with the suggestion that fear or self-preservation has taken priority over principle. The word has a strongly critical and often political or moral tone, and it is more common in formal writing, journalism, and historical analysis than in casual conversation. Its related adjective, pusillanimous, is often applied to people, policies, or decisions perceived as weak or excessively cautious. Although the word can refer to personal timidity, it is especially associated with collective or public behavior, as when a government is accused of pusillanimity in the face of a crisis. The term is more forceful and elevated than simply saying that someone is afraid, and it carries a judgment about the failure to act.
nounThe quality of being cowardly, timid, or unwilling to face difficulty or danger. It is a formal word for a lack of courage or resolve.
- Lack of courage or willingness to face danger, difficulty, or responsibility.
- Timidity or excessive fear in action or belief.
"The committee condemned the pusillanimity of its members, who had refused to confront the crisis."
"His pusillanimity in the face of criticism revealed a lack of confidence."
"Rather than accept the consequences, they retreated in pusillanimity."
The plural is used for multiple instances of cowardice or timidity, though the singular is much more common.
"The speech attributed the nation's decline to the pusillanimities of its leaders."
Pusillanimity comes from a Latin word meaning 'having a little spirit,' but its modern meaning is the opposite: lacking the spirit to face a challenge.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pusillanimity come from?
Pusillanimity derives from the Latin adjective pusillanimis, meaning 'having a little spirit' or 'mean-spirited,' and from the related noun pusillanimitas. The word combines the root pusillus, 'little,' with animus, 'mind' or 'spirit.' It entered English in the early 17th century and was initially associated with meanness of spirit before developing its modern sense of cowardice or timidity. Its relatives include pusillanimous, magnanimous, animosity, and unanimity.
Related word forms
How pusillanimity is actually used
This is a formal and somewhat literary term. It is more commonly used to describe cowardice in public or institutional conduct than to describe ordinary everyday hesitation.
Easily confused with pusillanimity
Pusillanimity is the noun naming the quality, while pusillanimous is the adjective describing a person or action characterized by that quality.