craven
craven — 形容詞
- cravenpositive
- more cravencomparative
- most cravensuperlative
1. completely without courage, in a way that makes people lose respect
卑怯的
極度膽小、令人鄙視的
completely without courage, in a way that makes people lose respect
Javier's craven silence while his colleague took the blame shocked everyone in the office.
Javier 在同事承擔罪責時保持卑怯的沉默，讓辦公室裡所有人都感到震驚。
craven + silence: describing a failure to act when action was needed
Dimitri called the retreat a craven surrender that brought shame to the entire regiment.
Dimitri 稱這次撤退為卑怯的投降，給整個軍團帶來恥辱。
Amara told her brother that hiding the truth from their parents was a craven choice.
Amara 告訴她弟弟，對父母隱瞞真相是卑怯的選擇。
When the boat began to sink, the craven captain grabbed the only lifeboat for himself.
船開始下沉時，卑怯的船長獨自搶走了唯一的救生艇。
The newspaper called the mayor's sudden policy reversal a craven attempt to win votes.
報紙稱市長突然改變政策，是為了贏得選票的卑怯之舉。
- cowardly
less intense and more everyday; simply means lacking courage without the strong contempt
- spineless
informal; suggests a complete lack of moral backbone
- pusillanimous
very formal, similar register but emphasises timidity more than contemptibility
- valiant
suggests bravery in the face of danger, often in a heroic context
文法句型
craven + noun
用法筆記
This is a literary and formal word, much stronger than cowardly. It expresses moral condemnation, not just an observation of fear. Typically used attributively (before a noun) rather than predicatively.
craven — 名詞
- cravensingular
- cravensplural
1. a person who has no courage and will do anything to stay safe, even if it means
懦夫
毫無勇氣、只顧自身安全的人
a person who has no courage and will do anything to stay safe, even if it means abandoning others
Keiko refused to work with a craven who would let others take the blame every time.
Keiko 拒絕與一個每次出錯都讓別人承擔責任的懦夫共事。
a craven who + clause: defining a person by their cowardly actions
The villagers called Old Man Hendrik a craven for hiding in his cellar during the raid.
村民們稱老 Hendrik 為懦夫，因為他在突襲時躲在地窖裡。
Only a craven would leave a wounded friend behind on the mountain trail.
只有懦夫才會在山路上拋棄受傷的朋友。
Fatima said she would rather fail alone than follow a craven into the meeting.
Fatima 說她寧可獨自失敗，也不願跟著一個懦夫走進會議室。
The story's hero turns out to be a craven who lied about his wartime deeds.
故事中的英雄原來是個懦夫，他對自己的戰時行為說了謊。
用法筆記
Used as a countable noun. It labels a person with strong moral disapproval — stronger than simply calling someone a coward.