coward

/ˈkaʊəd/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈaʊɚd] /ˈkaʊərd/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈaʊɚd] /ˈkau̇(-ə)rd/ (ame, mw)

coward — noun

  • cowardsingular
  • cowardsplural

1. someone who lacks the courage to face danger, hardship, or unpleasant situations

1.名詞B1
釋義

someone who lacks the courage to face danger, hardship, or unpleasant situations, often running away or avoiding them instead of dealing with them.

例句

When the school bully appeared, Jason slipped away and his classmates called him a coward.

collocation: call someone a coward

Nellie admitted she was too much of a coward to ride the roller coaster.

collocation: too much of a coward to [do something]

同義詞
  • chicken

    informal and often playful; milder than coward

  • wimp

    informal; emphasises physical weakness rather than a lack of moral courage

  • scaredy-cat

    informal, used mainly with or by children; very mild

反義詞
  • hero

    someone who shows bravery and self-sacrifice; the direct opposite of a coward

  • brave person

    plain opposite that simply describes someone without cowardice

文法句型

be a coward

call someone a coward

用法筆記

Strongly negative term; calling someone a coward is a direct insult. The related adjective is 'cowardly' (e.g., 'a cowardly act'), not 'coward'. 'Coward' is a countable noun, so it always needs a determiner in singular form.

常見錯誤

❌He is very coward.
✅He is a coward.
💡coward is a noun, not an adjective; use 'a coward' or the adjective 'cowardly'.
❌That was a coward thing to do.
✅That was a cowardly thing to do.
💡describe actions with the adjective 'cowardly', not the noun 'coward'.