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View synonyms for

craven

[krey-vuhn]

adjective

  1. cowardly; contemptibly timid; pusillanimous.

    Synonyms: , ,


noun

  1. a coward.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make cowardly.

craven

/ ˈɪə /

adjective

  1. cowardly; mean-spirited

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a coward

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • cravenly adverb
  • cravenness noun
  • uncraven adjective
  • ˈԲԱ noun
  • ˈԱ adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of craven1

1175–1225; Middle English cravant, cravaunde defeated < Old French Գé, past participle of cravanter to crush, overwhelm (< Vulgar Latin *貹Գ ), influenced by Middle English creaunt defeated ( recreant )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of craven1

C13 cravant, probably from Old French crevant bursting, from crever to burst, die, from Latin to burst, crack
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. cry craven, to yield; capitulate; give up.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He’s cornered by guards, the players who fought alongside him are dead, and he’s thrown back in with the remaining players, many of whom survived because they’re the most craven of the group.

From

This year’s retreat from DEI policies is merely a continuation of that craven approach.

From

But still: For the president of the United States to accuse the government of South Africa, in 2025, of conducting a racial genocide is so craven, so shameless, that beggars any rational description.

From

These craven handovers will have an entirely predictable result: They will only encourage further extortionate suits against news organizations.

From

They accuse ministers of being overly submissive to international lawyers and craven to politically motivated votes at the UN.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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